Spice
by allechant
Summary: life is nothing but a series of ironic tragedies. I should know. I'm in love with my sister. Rated M for explicit adult themes.
1. Chapter 1

Kagamine Len groaned as his phone started buzzing on the bedside table, the muffled vibrations deafening loud in the silence of the room. Glancing across at the sleeping girl beside him, he reached over and grabbed his phone, thinking that he really should have switched it off before he actually came up to this girl's room.

Peering at his screen, squinting against the bright backlight, he saw a very familiar number, urgent and demanding. The phone buzzed again, almost angrily, and with a sigh of resignation, he swiped across the screen, accepting the call. Almost immediately, the voice of an angry female hissed into his ear. "Where are you right now, Kagamine Len? And who are you with?" the woman snapped, sounding jealous. He couldn't help but grin. "I can't believe you cancelled on me last night – you better have a good reason for it! I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

Sakine Meiko was quite the fiery woman. Her rage and her passion were the main reasons why he still stuck with her, despite her controlling ways. He knew, for all her rigidity and possessiveness, that as long as he whispered a few sweet nothings in her ear, she would grow calm and docile once more. She was very easy to anger but just as easy to please. "Why, I'm at home of course. Sleeping. It's three in the morning, love," he yawned, something he didn't have to fake. "I really had some urgent business to attend to last night. I'll spend more time with you next time, promise," unless he found someone else willing to entertain him. Honestly, Meiko got on his nerves sometimes, but not enough for him to sever ties with her completely.

Meiko's voice had lowered into a deep, husky purr. "All right then, whatever you say," she giggled, sounding nothing like the twenty-five-year-old woman she actually was. "How about tomorrow night? I'm taking leave from work for a few days, I need to clear my leave, so we have plenty of time. You can even stay all night if you'd like," she offered suggestively.

He laughed quietly, careful not to awaken the slumbering woman beside him. "Tomorrow is fine. As for staying the night...we'll see about that," he said vaguely, reluctant to make any promises. After a few more insincere whispers and declarations of "I love you", he managed to hang up, setting his phone back down with a sigh of relief. Well, now he knew whose bed he would be gracing tomorrow night, but for today he was free. It would be nice to take some time out of his busy schedule for himself – he had an ever-accumulating stack of homework anyway, so he might as well make use of the free time to clear some of it.

Looking once more at the sleeping woman, he slipped off the bed with its rumpled covers and the dirty sheets which smelled like musk and sex. Gathering his clothes, he pulled his shirt over his head and put on his pants with a practised ease born of countless one night stands. He could let himself out of the small apartment, he had come here several times before, and he would prefer to leave before the woman woke up. It was always awkward leaving when they were awake.

He didn't live too far away from here, maybe just two or three streets down from this block. It would be morning in a few hours, and he'd like to get a few hours of sleep in his own familiar bed. Besides, if he got home too late his parents would wake up – they always woke up early to go to work – and then he would have a hard time explaining where he had been all night. Plus, today was still a school day, and he was completely out of excuses for missing lessons.

Actually, Len wondered at times why he was doing this to himself. Sure, he liked the sex, he liked physical pleasure, but sometimes these women he slept with grew too... _attached_ to him, and that was when most problems arose. All he wanted was one night of pleasure – he never wanted anything more than a simple fling with no strings attached. But some women thought that he must love them, given how often he returned to their arms and their bed. He couldn't bring himself to explain that actually, he was irrevocably in love with someone else – someone he knew he could never have, and the knowledge of that left a painful, gaping hole in his chest where his heart was supposed to beat.

It didn't take long for him to reach his own house. The three-storied building was in a suburb just a little way outside town, and he was thankful when he saw that the windows were all dark – it would be awkward if anyone was awake now to catch him sneaking home in the dead of the night. Letting himself in through the back door, he quietly locked the door behind him and poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen – he was a little thirsty after his midnight antics.

Leaving the empty glass in the sink, he snuck out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards his room, taking care to avoid the creaky fourth step on the staircase. He was used to creeping his way around at night, this hardly was the first time he left the house at ungodly hours. Reaching the next floor landing, he looked around carefully to ensure that no one was leaving their room just as he entered his own, and it was only when he was completely sure it was safe that he headed towards his room, glad that he had come home undetected once again.

As he reached out, long slender fingers curling around his doorknob, he paused and looked behind him at the door right opposite his – it was his twin sister's room, and for the longest moment, he just stared at the door as though it held the key to some unfathomable secret. Then, with a quick shake of his head, he snapped out of his trance and slid into his room, opening and closing the door slowly so that it wouldn't creak too loudly. Suddenly overwhelmed by tiredness, he headed straight to his welcoming bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. He would change in the morning, but right now all he wanted to do was to fall into the lulling embrace of sleep.

* * *

Morning came quickly, too quickly for Len. His window streamed sunshine into his room, and it fell upon his face – he turned away but it was too late, he was already awake. He had always been a light sleeper. Muttering a curse, he shifted into a sitting position, rubbing a hand over his weary eyes – glancing at the clock on his bedside table, he saw that it was half-past seven.

Well, that meant he had roughly four hours of sleep last night. It would be enough to last him for the day, and he would just come home after school to catch up on his lost rest. Furiously rubbing the last vestiges of tiredness from his eyes, he yawned and stretched, his arms and hips throbbing in remembrance of his activities last night. The muscle aches would be gone soon enough, and until then he just had to put up with it. It was a pleasant sort of pain, one that was mildly uncomfortable but still familiar. It reminded him that last night, he had satisfied both himself and the nameless girl he met at Gumo's party. She would probably remember him for a long while. He found it odd, that this actually wasn't the first time he slept with this familiar stranger yet he still didn't know her name. Or did she tell him before, and did he simply forget?

"Len!" a familiar voice that sounded like a high-pitched version of his own rang out through the wood of his door. "I know you're awake! You better get your ass ready for school, you're going to get in trouble if you show up late again!" his dear sister scolded sharply. She was only a few minutes older than him, but she acted like she was years his senior. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, knowing it was pointless when she couldn't see him through the door anyway.

"You nag like you're Mum!" he yelled back. "You keep this up and you'll get wrinkles young!" There was a loud knock on the door, and he could practically feel his sister's impatience in the knock. He also heard the thump of footsteps and knew that she was probably heading downstairs to grab some toast for breakfast. He was glad that today was Wednesday and so they started school late. If it was any other day and he had to wake up at six, he'd probably be late again...

It didn't take long for him to get ready. Quickly, he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and darted to the bathroom for a quick shower. Five minutes later, he was downstairs with his bag slung over his shoulder, attempting to steal some of his sister's freshly buttered toast – at first, she tried to defend her breakfast, but eventually begrudgingly gave up one piece of toasty goodness. He mumbled a "thanks" through a mouth full of bread, and she simply rolled her blue eyes at him.

Kagamine Rin looked just like him, with her baby blue eyes and feathery golden blonde hair. She was a good head shorter than him, puberty clearly having granted him an edge in terms of height, and she had the cutesy good looks of a girl-next-door. Both of them were, granted, rather blessed in the genetics department. Smirking, he reached out to ruffle her hair, something she hated because it reminded her of how he was taller than her now when they were the same height five years ago – she batted his hand away like an angry cat, and with their morning ritual complete they left the house, thankfully catching the bus just as it pulled up at the nearby bus stop.

His school wasn't too far from his house either. It was one of those preppy high schools meant for smarter and wealthier students, meaning that there wasn't much variety in terms of the student population. Every day he saw the same few faces and spoke to the same few people who all had the same few types of personalities. There were the usual jocks and cheerleaders, there were the geeks, there were the nice innocent do-gooders, and there were the weirdos as always. His school didn't really have room for any other kind of student, to be honest.

Rin's first class was different from his – in fact, they didn't really share many classes together. His school had an unspoken policy to separate twins, especially if they were identical since they found it easier to differentiate them and especially because they believed twins in the same classroom would only lead to trouble. He couldn't fault the administration for thinking that way, though. He and Rin had played their fair share of pranks in class during their younger days. "Remember to come home early today," his sister reminded him tersely as their bus pulled up outside the school building. "Mum and Dad are home early for once and they want to have a family meal."

Len sighed and rolled his eyes in exaggerated exasperation. "I know. You've told me this like, five times already at least. I'll remember," his tone softened slightly as he saw his sister grin at him. Whenever she smiled, he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. Then again, it was easy to forget her attractiveness when she was shouting at him, kicking his ass or basically behaving like she was forty. "Get a move on, you'll be late," he shoved her off the seat since she was blocking his way out. She hissed at him, then tossed a casual "bye loser" over her shoulder before she dashed down the bus steps towards the school gate.

He took his time leaving the bus, dawdling over to the gate since he knew he still had around fifteen minutes before lessons started. Not for the first time, he silently blessed the soul who decided that on Wednesday, their class would start one and a half hours later than usual. It was only 8.45am now, and he would take only five minutes to get to class, so he wouldn't have to worry about yet another blemish on his otherwise flawless record. Honestly, the only reason why he even had a record in school was due to of how often he showed up late to class.

As he walked through the front courtyard towards the main building, he could feel people looking at him, and a sudden grin danced across his lips – he was fairly notorious in school for what he did at night, and that gained him plenty of attention from other, mostly female, students on campus. He did have a reputation for being a bit of a player, but he didn't really see himself as a playboy. He didn't toy with a girl's affections and then dump her, after all. He liked to make it clear that he was only in it for the sex before he started anything with anyone, and most people were okay with that though some others hoped for more. He was vaguely aware that there was a secret challenge among the girls in school – a challenge to make Kagamine Len fall in love with one of them.

But none of these girls knew that his heart already belonged to another, an unattainable other. He sometimes wondered if he slept around really just because of the pleasure, or if it was to fill the gaping hole in his heart that his love left behind. The latter thought was terrifying – it was the kind of thought that came to him during the half-awake, half-asleep hour of two in the morning. It was the kind of thought which haunted his nightmares and made him toss and turn in his sleep.

As his thoughts wandered, so did his gaze, and as he casually looked around, hands shoved in his pockets, he saw a flash of teal. The colour was such a strange colour to see on this minimalistic grey campus that he looked around quickly, wondering if he had imagined the vibrant flash of colour. When he looked in the direction of the teal streak though, all he saw was the school's administration office, with no bright bluish-green in sight. Shrugging, he continued on his way, deciding that he must have imagined the flash of bright colour. He had dawdled in the courtyard for long enough, and the fifteen minutes he had before had already dropped to five. It would be best if he hurried for his first class now since he didn't want to be late even when for once, he actually managed to show up early.

* * *

He spun his pen lazily, watching the minutes tick past on the class clock. The second hand seemed to crawl, and he felt like the clock was almost mocking him. He sat in the middle of the classroom, towards the back, but he fancied he could hear the ticking of the clock. _Tick tock, tick tock_ it went, with a sort of malicious glee as it counted down the seconds towards the next lesson. Surely he couldn't be the only one in class feeling such animosity towards the clock.

He glanced around discreetly, not wanting to draw the teacher's attention as he droned on about Philip Larkin's self-deprecating style of poetry. It was all stuff he already knew, anyway. He did Larkin last year already, being in the advanced Literature module, so he wasn't really paying attention. Len was good at most subjects, the one subject he was terrible at being Biology since he hated memorising things. Thankfully he had dropped that module last year.

His gaze flitted towards the clock once more. The minute hand had only moved twice since the last time he looked at it and, with a quiet groan, he flopped back into his seat, drumming his fingers idly against the table. He glanced down at the notepad he had on the table and the little doodles he had drawn on the page. They were mostly stick figures and games of Tic-Tac-Toe he was playing with himself. He wasn't the artistic one in their family, Rin was. Speaking of Rin, he wondered what she was up to now. She was having her advanced Art class, and since she liked Art so much he was sure she was having a lot more fun than he was. He only took advanced classes because the school system allowed you to attend fewer lessons the more advanced classes you took. But this semester the only advanced class he had left to clear was Chemistry, so his timetable wasn't significantly different from the rest of the cohort this year.

Maybe he should have waited until this year to clear his advanced modules. It was hellish sitting in lessons and listening to things he had already done last year, or the year before. Impatience was never a good thing in sex, and he supposed that applied to other things in life as well. He was thinking about whether he should take a nap on the table and whether the teacher would notice if he did when he heard a faint knock on the door. The teacher evidently heard the sound as well since he stopped speaking halfway, looking curiously at the closed door.

"Come in," their teacher called. Len knew it couldn't be any tardy student, since everyone was present in class today, even him. The door opened and again, he caught a glimpse of teal – in walked a girl, dressed in a plain white dress and carrying a bright blue backpack. Her hair, which was the same shade of bright teal he had seen on campus earlier this morning, was tied into two simple braids which hung all the way to her waist. He couldn't really see her face, but she was slim and fair and she had very nice legs, from what he could see. The teacher stared at her as the mysterious girl walked over to him, saying something. He couldn't hear her from where he was seated.

Their teacher nodded as she spoke, comprehension dawning on his face. He cleared his throat and looked up, adjusting his tie nervously. He was a fairly young man, clearly only a few years older than them – Len guessed that he was in his mid-twenties. "Class," their teacher started, "we have a new student with us today. She just transferred from another school, and her name is..." he turned towards the girl apologetically, and she spun slowly to face the rest of them, looking at each and every student in turn. Len took advantage of this opportunity to ogle her face.

She was very pretty, easily one of the more attractive girls in school. That wasn't surprising – he had already _guessed_ she was pretty since she had a nice body and nice skin and nice hair and well, nice everything. Her eyes were green and impossibly big, drooping a little at the edges to give her a sleepy, but adorable puppy-dog kind of appearance. She had cute, pouty _tiny_ mouth with rosy pink lips and a slightly upturned nose. After taking note of her face, his gaze dropped to her figure again – the dress she wore wasn't so loose that it left everything to his imagination, but it wasn't form-fitting either. His eyes darted from curve to curve of her slender, willowy body, imagining the things he could do with someone as slim and petite as her.

"My name is Hatsune Miku," her voice was clear and sweet, and extremely high-pitched – like the bright, sharp tinkling of glasses clinking. He actually flinched, unprepared for such a voice. "My parents move around a lot due to work but I lived here when I was little. My parents decided to settle here again so I'll be finishing the rest of my senior year here," she smiled nervously then, clasping her hands together before her chest. "I hope you all can guide me along!" she continued, still looking from student to student – then her gaze landed on him, and he stared directly back at her.

He thought that her gaze lingered on him for just a few seconds longer than it did for the other students, but he couldn't be sure. The next thing he knew she was looking away from him, back at the teacher, the neutral expression on her face leaving him uncertain as to whether he had imagined their brief connection. The teacher murmured something to her and she nodded, making her way to one of the two empty seats in the classroom. One was next to him since the student who sat there before was currently hospitalised due to leukaemia, and was unlikely to be released before the end of senior year. The other empty table was next to the window, two seats away from his. The girl hesitated momentarily when she drew near, obviously trying to decide which seat to choose – to his mild surprise, she turned away from him and moved towards the window seat. He was quite used to people clamouring for his attention since he was smart, good-looking and fairly well-off, so her lack of interest in him was rather jarring.

The class was still following her every movement. The girl pulled out the chair and sat gracefully, tucking the hem of her dress in and placing a single pen with a blank notebook on the table. She sat at attention when she was done arranging her stationery, and for a while, you could have heard a pin drop, the classroom was that quiet. Then their teacher cleared his throat again and went back to his lecture, and everything returned to normal save for the presence of the new girl. He found that his attention, already wandering before, was completely fixed upon this Hatsune Miku instead of Larkin now. He found himself glancing at her every so often, though she was focused on the lesson and her gaze never wandered away from the teacher.

Change was something he rarely saw in his life. His parents were dealing with problems in their companies now – both of them were holding high ranking positions in the company hierarchy – so they were often in the office and, even when at home, they were usually working in the study or talking to staff and colleagues on their phones. He came to school late most of the time, hardly paid attention since he preferred to catch up by himself at home, and fooled around at night with whoever caught his fancy. And his sister would come home in the late afternoon or evening, nag at him aggressively with her flashing bright blue eyes – he liked to goad her just to see the sparks of anger flying from her gaze – and either busy herself with schoolwork or just laze around at home in her scanty pyjamas, her sketchbook in one hand and an ink pen in another.

His sister was entirely too comfortable around him for his comfort. It was as though she sometimes forgot that, despite him being her twin, he was actually male, and she liked to walk around at home with nothing on but a translucent, oversized shirt and lacy panties. It made him fidget when he saw her like that but even when he asked her to change, she hardly ever listened to him. It was during those days when he stayed out the longest and was the most active in seeking out girls to satisfy him.

Anyway, his life was routine. Even the students and teachers in school were a constant in his life, something that grounded him when he couldn't sleep at night and he had to think about his reason for existing. But this girl was new, she was something different and he found himself thinking over what that could mean for him. Of course, it could be as simple as him finding a new sexual conquest – even for someone as steady and constant as him, it was nice to change things up once in a while, and to lie in the arms of a new girl, her gaze still innocent and unsullied by the cruelties of love and the world. But on the other hand...discreetly, he glanced across at her again. She was still looking straight ahead, but he felt like perhaps she knew he was looking at her. It was the way she sat ramrod straight in her chair, her shoulders tense. She looked like she could sense, somehow, that she was being watched, although she hadn't even glanced at him once.

He thought that it would be interesting to become acquainted with this new person. It would be a nice change...suddenly, the memory of Meiko and her demanding words came to mind, and he shuddered. Yes, it would be nice to have yet another alternative when he was lonely at night. Nowadays he was going to Meiko too often, and that seemed to give her the impression that she held some kind of sway over him. Truthfully, she didn't, but since they just had mid-term examinations a while ago, most students were still recovering from their last-minute studying and he was kind enough to keep away until the girls were less stressed. So he went to the few working-age acquaintances he had, and Meiko just happened to be one of them.

Suddenly, the school bell pealed, and he jolted up in his seat – he hadn't realised that time was passing by so quickly. The girl's arrival really seemed to speed things up a little. It must be the disruption to his usual routine messing with his perception of time. "Don't forget to submit the essay by next week," their teacher called out over the noise of chatter and of books and pens being swept hastily into bags. He glanced again at the new girl and saw that she was the only one who bothered to write their homework down into that notepad of hers. He studied her, slowly getting up from his chair, and as he tucked the chair in behind the table she looked up and suddenly, abruptly, their gazes met. Green clashed with blue, and for a moment all he could do was stare at her.

He thought he saw a faint glimmer of recognition flit through her gaze, but then again he could have mixed it up with anything else. He, for all his ability to coax pleasure and murmur honey words of promise, was terrible with feelings. He couldn't tell sadness from jealousy, or simple irritation from true anger. Well, not unless the person was really obvious and not the typical passive-aggressive girls he seemed to involve himself with, his sister included. And anyway, she couldn't possibly recognise him. This was the first time he had ever seen her...unless she had seen him sneaking home from the apartment complex last night? But he quickly brushed that thought away; she couldn't have, no one in their right mind would be awake so late.

He glanced up at her again, but when he looked this time she was already gone, and he hastily searched the classroom only to see her teal braids swinging as she ducked out past the door. He wondered what her next class was and whether he would see her again – he hoped they would share a few more lessons together since she was someone so new and he was terribly intrigued by whatever was new. Life didn't seem to crawl as much when there was something new to distract him with, or at least that was what he observed from the class he just had.

Looking up at the clock, he decided he would relax a little more before he set off for the next class. There were still a few of his classmates talking in the room anyway, taking their time to leave. As he leant back against his table and shut his eyes, intending to take a quick, three-minute power nap, he heard a familiar voice and felt a firm handshake his shoulder, causing his brow to furrow in annoyance. His eyes snapped open and his gaze met blue eyes that were just a shade darker than his own. One of his good friends, Shion Kaito, was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. There was a knowing expression on his face, and Len already could guess what he was about to say.

"You're going to go after her, aren't you?" his friend asked. "That new student, Hatsune Miku. She's pretty hot," the navy haired boy mused. Shion Kaito was one of the taller guys in school. His father was the president of Shion Corps, the multinational company which dealt with oil fields in Saudi Arabia or somewhere along those lines – Len was not really sure since he didn't have any particular interest in the oil industry. Shion Corps also had a hand in defence technology, and all this meant that Kaito was _very_ well-off – not that you could tell, since the guy seemed to wear the same few clothes over and over again in different combinations. Of course, Len didn't have many clothes himself, but he at least had enough clothes to wear a different outfit each day of the week. He thought Kaito had worn this exact same outfit just two days ago. Not that he really paid attention, since he was a guy and all, but Kaito's fashion choices were something his sister evidently paid attention to.

"I don't know. Maybe," he shrugged, thinking over Kaito's words. Did he really want to chase this girl? She didn't seem to have the slightest inkling of interest in him, from what he saw, and he knew better than to push himself upon a girl who wasn't looking for a boyfriend or a relationship. She seemed content to just study, ace her senior year and graduate from school if her behaviour during class was any indication of her personality. "She seems kind of cold, actually," he said slowly, frowning a little as he thought about her behaviour. Kaito just grinned knowingly.

"You know that the frosty ones are the best," Kaito joked. Or maybe he wasn't joking, Len couldn't really tell when it came to Kaito. All he knew was that, when it came to Kaito, he was mostly all talk and no action. He might make sexual innuendos and he might _sound_ experienced, but Len knew that he wasn't, not really. He also knew that Rin had a bit of a crush on Kaito, for some strange reason, and it actually got on his nerves a little. To begin with, the idea that anyone could have a crush on Kaito was just downright weird. The knowledge that his twin sister was the one having said crush was, on the other hand, infuriating. But he didn't take it out on his friend since he never tried to seduce his sister or anything like that – Len just kept the annoyance and anger within, acting as though it didn't bother him one jot. He was a fairly good actor, or so he believed.

"Not my preference," Len now murmured, eyes darting to the clock and noting that he had approximately two minutes left to get to class. Luckily, it was on the same floor, and his Music teacher was always fashionably late anyway. "I'll see you later during lunch, I gotta get to class now," he pushed away from the table, grabbing his bag as he went. Kaito waved goodbye as he left the room – the navy haired boy was having a break now. Len's next break wouldn't be for another two hours. Wednesdays started late, but they were long, tedious days for him too.

However, as he pushed open the door to his Music classroom and caught a glimpse of teal in the large mirror that stretched across an entire wall of the room, he felt his lips curl up into a small smile. Perhaps his day would not be quite as tedious as he had feared it to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Len slunk over to his seat at the back of the classroom, ignoring the looks he knew were being shot his way. He was used to receiving looks all the time. Usually, it felt great to be the centre of attention, but every once in a while he just wanted to be left alone. This was one of those times.

His usual chair in class put him almost directly behind Hatsune Miku. In Music, they didn't have tables – these were all replaced by stands to hold whichever scores they were doing that day. There was no worry about there being newcomers who didn't know how to read musical scores, since Music was an additional elective only open to people who met certain qualifications.

It was surprising that he was here instead of his sister, since Rin was the more artsy one between the both of them. She was an excellent artist who took naturally to most art forms, and she was a great singer too, but she had never bothered to go for any formal singing examinations so she didn't have the necessary certificates to get into this class. Not that it bothered her that much, anyway. She liked to sing as a hobby, and told him once that she didn't want her hobby to be regulated and tested, the same way her art was. It was a little secret she wanted to keep to herself since when she sang, she bared a part of her soul, whereas she could still hide that in her sketches. She didn't want to show such a private part of herself to a board of examiners.

He understood that, actually. But he was used to baring private parts of himself for the eyes of others. He was as transparent as one could be, never lying about his feelings for another. Whenever someone declared their love for him, he couldn't bring himself to return those words, not when he knew they would be a lie. Every time he slept with a stranger he exposed a private, vulnerable part of himself to them, but he had grown so used to this routine that it was starting to become...not so private anymore. It used to make him uneasy since he was taught that sleeping around was immoral, but as time passed by the unease faded, and as the discomfort left so did his pride in keeping secrets. In his life, privacy was a rare and precious commodity, and he didn't think he really deserved it all that much. Privacy belonged to those who were pure, and he was not.

Forcing himself to focus on the present, he shook himself slightly and looked towards the teal braids, shimmering under the light just a little distance before him. He was curious about what her qualifications were. He played the piano and was pretty good at it too, which was how he got into the module. Well, that along with the fact that he was pitch perfect and could sing well. When they were younger, he and Rin used to sing duets all the time, but that happened a lot less now they were older and spent less time with each other, trying to carve out individual identities. Even Len did not want to spend the rest of his life being known as 'the male Kagamine twin'. He loved his twin sister, but he was so much more than just her reflection, and the same applied to her.

Their tutor was late as always. She only ever showed up on time on two days – the first and the last day of school. He wondered what she was doing before lessons, since she was the only teacher who consistently came late to class, but those were her personal affairs so he didn't allow himself to wonder too much. He knew from his own experience that there was nothing worse than some stranger trying to butt their nose into your business, so he wouldn't wonder about what his teacher was up to even if he was her student and he was curious about her misconduct.

His attention, as always, wandered. He was a bit of a daydreamer, though that toned down as he got older. Before he figured out that he learnt best alone at home, he always showed up to class and just daydreamed away, not paying attention even when his teacher called on him. During parent-teacher meetings, his teachers always said he could do so much better, if only he would focus in class...well, he still hardly paid attention nowadays, but he was one of the top students in the cohort anyway. He couldn't learn by simply listening to the teacher, he needed to go home to the comfort and privacy of his bedroom and read the material himself to understand. His bedroom was his haven, and it was the only place where he felt like he could be himself. He had never brought a girl to his room before, and he didn't want to. He didn't think he ever would, either.

Hatsune Miku was writing away on her notebook. He could see her head bent over the pages, the faint wispy baby hairs at the nape of her neck curling against the pale skin. Her hair was incredibly long and, under the warm light of the music room, it looked soft and silky. It was the kind of hair he could imagine himself dragging his fingers through. He looked at the length of her hair and wondered if she used a lot of conditioner to keep her hair this way. Rin had much shorter hair than her yet she could use up an entire bottle of conditioner in less than two weeks, and he wasn't sure if that was normal or if his sister was using too much. He didn't understand girls, for all the time he spent with them and knowing their bodies. He could never fathom the fuss of having to both shampoo and condition hair, although his hair was almost as long as his sister's. He and Rin had both inherited their mother's hair, so it was naturally smooth and shiny anyway.

He wondered what she was writing in that notebook, since they hadn't even started class yet. Was she already beginning on the essay assigned during their Literature lesson? If so, that wouldn't surprise him – she seemed like the nerdy, bookish type, though her looks didn't fit the stereotype. How interesting. He continued to focus on her, content to watch her do her work as he memorised the curve of her shoulders and the soft glimmer of her teal hair. It was almost relaxing, not having to think of anything as he stared intently at the new girl. Perhaps she could feel him watching her, because after a while she actually turned to look at him, but her green eyes met his for only a quick moment before she looked down at her notepad again. His curiosity about her grew.

Right then, the door opened and their music teacher flounced in, an elegant woman dressed in a long, simple black dress who moved in a cloud of her own fragrant perfume. She was someone who clearly understood the pleasures and luxuries of life – sometimes, she would detour from her lessons and tell them about her weekend or vacation. Wine tasting, bungee jumping, sitting front row at the Paris Fashion Show...she was clearly a rich woman, and that actually made him wonder why she was teaching here at this school when she didn't have to. Maybe she was bored at home, with nothing to entertain her besides other beautiful, wealthy people and her own luxurious fancies.

"Ah, you are a new child!" she exclaimed, gaze settling on the teal haired girl sitting in front of him. "Come, come up here and tell me what your speciality is!" Hatsune Miku rose from her seat and weaved through the maze of chairs and stands towards the front. She said something to the teacher; what, he couldn't be sure because he had never been very good at lip-reading. The teacher nodded and looked directly at him – he blinked back, uncertain about why she was staring at him when she had to deal with the new girl. "Well, Miku, you should continue sitting with Len, in that case," the woman decided. "He is also both pianist and vocalist, and is pitch perfect to boot! Plus he needs a duet partner for his latest composition. I'm sure you two will work well together," their teacher announced cheerfully. His breath caught, and his gaze flicked towards the girl – she was staring right back at him, but her expression was unreadable.

Nodding towards their teacher, she picked her way back through the chairs towards him, ignoring the looks and whispers that filled the room at the announcement. It was true that he had been looking for a duet partner – it was a pity indeed that Rin wasn't in his class – and the reason why he couldn't find one was because of how choosy he was. He was good at his work and he expected his partner to be equally proficient in composition and playing, which was difficult since he had such a highly musical background. Their teacher knew of how particular he was as well, which was why she had not been pushing him to find a partner as quickly as possible. If she announced in front of the whole class that Miku was to be his partner, then...she had to be at least decent.

Miku drew her chair over towards him, sitting right next to him with her closed notebook placed primly on her lap. Their teacher, seemingly oblivious to the giggles of the girls and the curious looks being shot at him and his new duet partner, had gone into the latest score she wanted them to play. Their version of music class basically consisted of their teacher picking out scores she liked and them learning how to play it for her. They went through ten scores per semester at least, on top of having to actually compose a song with accompanying vocals as their final, but he didn't mind. He actually liked the huge workload, which was why he was still in this class even though he had cleared enough modules here to drop the class two years ago.

"So, how good are you at composition and arrangement?" he asked, deciding to get the most important question out of the way – he would do a proper introduction later, after he had confirmed that she was really up to his high standards. She smiled, not saying anything in reply, and reached forward to pick up the folder he had placed on the stand before him. Instinctively his hand shot out towards her, not wanting a stranger to see his compositions, but she glanced at him again and he retreated. She flipped open the folder, looking through his pieces, and he found himself gnawing nervously on his lip, wondering how she would react to his work. He wasn't sure why he actually cared – he knew he was good, so her feelings about his pieces shouldn't matter at all to him.

"These are nice," she observed, her voice once again the silvery tinkling of glass. A sense of relief flooded through him at the approval. "You must have composed quite a few songs...this score is familiar," she paused at one of the sheets, her fingers lingering thoughtfully over the page. He looked down to see what she was reading, and immediately lunged over to flip the score. He couldn't help himself; that piece held a special significance for him, and he didn't want to share it with anyone, not even with Rin. Hatsune Miku stared at him, her eyes wide with surprise, and his mind scrabbled for an acceptable reason to explain his rude behaviour.

"Uh...it's just a work in progress," he said lamely, "I don't really want anyone to see it until it's finished. You can look at the other songs though," in a way, he wasn't lying. Although the composition she noticed was already complete, he was always trying to tweak it, to make it sound as perfect as it did in his memories. That particular song was one from his childhood – a very faint, fuzzy sort of memory, but he could recall the melody nevertheless. He couldn't remember who sang it to him, when he heard it, or what the song's title even was, but the haunting tune stuck with him and it was one of the few things in his life which could actually calm him and make him long for a past long gone. He was always trying to look ahead to the future, but this old nostalgic tune made him reminiscent of his childhood. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"All right, I understand," the girl answered simply. He was a little surprised, since he had not thought that she would accept such a weak excuse. She looked through the scores again, humming the compositions lightly to herself, and the more she read through the greater the grasp he had of her musical ability. He could confidently say that she was very good at reading scores, and her pitching was good as well. She had a very sweet and melodious singing voice, definitely more soprano than alto, and he took note of that so that he could properly weave their voices together during their duet. Rin was an alto, so he was more than used to composing pieces for a lower female voice. It had been a while since he had to compose for a different singer.

"You must be very good, to be able to get into this module," he observed, finally breaking the silence between them. The rest of the class were all trying out the latest score they had been assigned, but it felt like the two of them were in a world of their own. "The school is very strict about who comes here, since they actually submit our final compositions to the annual Music Festival and they want to win the top cash prize. It is a lot of money though, so I understand why," she hadn't looked up from the pages, but her timely nods made it clear that she was listening to him. "My name is Kagamine Len. I had Literature class with you this morning," he mentioned.

"I know," her lips curved up into a small smile. "I saw you. And I already know who you are. I've been in town for two days and I was talking to my cousin about this place. He attends the neighbouring school to ours, and he told me about you, you know," at this, she looked up straight at him. Her green eyes burned. "You have quite the reputation among women, don't you, Kagamine Len?" she asked, her fingers lingering on the second last page of his folder.

He didn't know how to respond. If he denied it, he would be a flat-out liar, but he didn't want the girl to have any wrong impressions of him, just in case her cousin happened to exaggerate anything about him. He was almost an urban legend, so there were stories and rumours about him which were completely false, and not all of these false tales were entirely flattering. "Whatever he told you was probably a lot worse than what I'm actually like," he finally replied, not knowing what else he could say. He couldn't deny her words, but just outright admitting that he was a womaniser of sorts was troubling. He didn't want her to have an ill impression of him even before they started working together. He didn't expect her to like him much though, since she knew about him...which was a pity, because she really was very pretty and gracing her bed wouldn't have been a chore.

"He told me that you play around with girls. You seduce them and sleep with them, and come back as many times as they want, but you never return their declarations of love. He has a friend whose heart was broken by you. Not because you lied to her, but because you never returned her feelings," she didn't sound accusatory, much to his surprise. In fact, she seemed curious. "He doesn't understand you, and neither do I. You're a playboy who doesn't cheat or take joy in breaking hearts. Why do you sleep around then, with so many girls? What's the point of all this?"

He shushed her, glancing around to see if anyone was listening to their conversation. It was no secret what he did, but nevertheless he didn't want people to be discussing this in school. There was a time and place for everything. "No particular reason," he sounded abrupt, and knew that he would come off as defensive. But it was the truth, since he didn't know himself why he was doing this. It wasn't really just about the pleasure, because sometimes he got sick and tired of warm bodies and soft lips, but he still pressed on with it. Sex was like alcohol to him – mind-numbing and exhilarating, but too much made him sick. When that happened, he would ask himself the same question she was asking him now, whether there was any real point to doing all this.

It was just that sleeping around made him forget about the difficulties of his life, at least for just a moment. And sleeping with different women made him feel less guilty about what he was doing. At least he was dispersing his relationship development. Better to have a huge pool of women than to develop a close bond with just one. He didn't want to imagine having to cut the bond that would form if he kept sleeping with the same person, over and over again. Ultimately he would have to sever the connection, since he couldn't love any of his bed partners. In his own twisted way he was trying to save the hearts of his bed mates, but he didn't think that excused his behaviour. Len knew that he was pretty messed up, but he had been this way for a long time, ever since he was old enough to know what sex was and how it felt. When did it all start? When he was...sixteen?

"And I think you're lying," she searched his gaze, her slightly droopy green eyes making her look like a tired little puppy. "You have your secrets and everyone deserves their privacy, so I won't probe. I only brought this up for one reason – please don't waste your time on me, if that is what you're thinking of. I only want to complete my senior year and graduate so I can find a job and work with what I love to do, and I don't want anything to get in my way," she concluded, her gaze dropping down to the very last score in his folder. He stared at her, momentarily speechless.

He didn't know how to respond to her words. On one hand, he wanted to be offended and ask her, in the most snarky tone he could manage, what made her think he would be interested in someone like her. But again that would be a lie. He would sleep with anyone who wanted him to, since all that mattered to him was the sex. Conversation, personality, body or looks – it didn't really concern him that much, though of course he did have limits and wouldn't agree to anything too kinky. This girl was probably aware of that, which was why she could make such a bold statement. If he became angry, they both knew it would be nothing more than a mask for his wounded pride.

So he forced a smile and nodded. "Well, whatever you say," he managed pleasantly enough. She smiled placidly at him, and for the rest of the lesson they discussed their musical styles and what they had in mind for their final project. It was as though the tense, awkward conversation had never taken place, but he couldn't just forget about it as quickly as she did. Her words lingered in the back of his mind, festering and ugly. He resisted the urge to grimace; he had never been rejected in such a straightforward manner, especially not even before he asked if she was interested in him.

When the bell rang, he was almost glad. Quickly, he turned away from Miku and stuffed his folder full of compositions in his bag, hoping that he wouldn't run into the teal haired girl again for any other classes today. He had to lick his wounds before he could face her properly, and maybe she could guess that he was offended because she kept quiet and stood away from him, leaving the classroom without a word of farewell. He couldn't help but watch her go though, unwillingly fascinated by the bright glimmer of teal that followed her wherever she went. The colour was warm and familiar, though he had never met anyone else with that hair colour before, and he thought that he might have once known someone else with hair like hers, but he couldn't recall whom.

* * *

During his break, Len couldn't help but be distracted by thoughts of Miku and her warning to leave her alone. He respected her dedication to her grades and how organised she seemed to be, but that didn't make her words any less irritating. It had to be admitted that he was unused to rejection, so being shot down by her now pricked at his ego. Tomorrow's session with Meiko suddenly seemed rather appealing – at least Meiko wanted him, and she didn't make that any secret.

"Len, you okay?" Kaito, who was sitting next to him at the table, was eating from a cup of ice cream. Len was tempted to get a cup for himself, but the ice cream in the school cafeteria was ridiculously overpriced...like most of the food there was, actually. "You've been spacing out all day, which is seriously weird. Did someone reject you?" he joked, but Len flinched. What Kaito said was too close to the truth for his comfort. Before he had to reply though, Utatane Piko cut in.

"Like anyone would reject Len," the silver haired boy snorted. "He's like the school's sex god. He probably has some secret fan club which worships him as their god or something," Piko sawed away at his overcooked steak to no avail. "Are you sure you're not talking about yourself, Kaito?"

"Well, just to let you know I do have my eye on someone and I think the feeling happens to be mutual!" Kaito shoved another spoon of ice cream into his mouth. It was cookies and cream flavoured, Len's second favourite after banana ice cream. He was particularly fond of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream, but the cafeteria didn't sell Ben and Jerry's, much to his chagrin.

Piko opened his mouth, clearly prepared to ask who the unlucky girl was, when he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him. "Hey, Kai!" his sister bubbled enthusiastically, coming up to his table where he was seated with Kaito and Piko, two of his closest friends in school. Len blinked, turning to stare at his twin – he was sitting right next to Kaito and he happened to be her _twin brother_ , yet she chose to greet some ice cream loving idiot instead of him first? And since when did she have a nickname for _Kaito_ , of all people? His gut was churning, and he started to feel a little sick. He wasn't sure if it was because of Rin being all pally with Kaito or if he happened to eat a bad lunch just now.

"Rinny!" Kaito responded just as cheerfully. It made Len feel sicker. Even he didn't call his sister that, since Rin was likely to punch the person who gave her a nickname, but all she did was giggle and twirl some of her blonde hair around her finger. Len recognised these to be signs of infatuation, and it felt like a black pit was threatening to swallow up his stomach. "Have your lessons ended already? Do you want to grab a bite after school? A new cafe just opened up in town, and I think it's near your house," Kaito was clearly excited about going out with his twin sister.

"I'd love to, but I have to be home early today, we have a family dinner," Rin explained. Kaito looked slightly crestfallen, but he didn't insist. Rin glanced towards him, and Len grimaced – seeing his sister and his good friend flirting right in front of him was making him feel nauseated. "Don't forget about coming home early tonight, I don't care about what you wanna do afterwards but just make sure you're there at the dinner table," she threatened, her voice back to normal instead of the sweet, simpering tone she used while speaking to Kaito. Len rolled his eyes and nodded, wishing for once that she would go away, and Rin smiled one last time at Kaito before she walked away, joining her own friends at the other side of the cafeteria. Len felt slightly better then, but only slightly.

"You two are gross. She's my sister!" he turned towards Kaito and snapped at him, hoping that Kaito would mistake his agitation to be a result of simple brotherly protectiveness instead of what it really was. Kaito grinned sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair while Piko stared at both of them with his mouth hanging slightly open, his steak clearly forgotten. "Even if you two want to flirt, don't do it in front of me! Just...just thinking about you having a crush on my _sister_ makes me sick."

"You can't control love!" Kaito defended himself. Len let out a groan, burying his head in his arms as he slumped on the cafeteria table. He used it as an excuse to sort out his racing thoughts and the bitterness which filled his heart – he knew that Rin had a crush on Kaito, but he didn't know it was mutual, and he certainly didn't know it had reached a stage where they were going out on dates. What if they continued and became really serious about each other? What if his sister lost her virginity to his friend? The possibility was truly sickening, but now that he had thought about it the image wouldn't leave his mind. He gritted his teeth – no, he couldn't let them get that far.

"Do whatever you want, just _don't_ go all lovey-dovey in front of me," he emphasised, though his words were muffled as his head was still in his arms. "And don't you dare brag about any milestones you achieve, either. Not with my sister," he looked up at that, and there was no hint of any joke at all in his words. He was perfectly serious. Kaito and Piko stared at him for a good moment, clearly wondering why he was being so forceful about this when he rarely showed such severity for anything, but after a while Kaito just shrugged and the three of them went back to normal. Len's emotions were still in turmoil though. He didn't know how he ought to feel about this.

On one hand, he did want his sister to be happy, and he wanted Kaito to be happy as well. They were both important people in his life, and he only wanted the best for them though it may not always appear to be that way. But on the other hand...he couldn't force himself to be happy that his sister's crush was returning her feelings, since he didn't even want her to like anyone in the first place. The fact that her crush was on Kaito just made everything worse because he couldn't possibly diss his friend in front of his sister. Though some spiteful part of him wanted to do that...he wanted them to break up before they even started. But he knew doing that would be plain wrong.

Kaito and Piko were talking about a video game now, the past few moments clearly forgotten. Len forced himself to listen to them, though he wasn't much of a gamer – he did play the same games as Kaito and Piko, but only when they wanted him to. If it was up to his own decision, the consoles in the living room wouldn't ever be touched, but then again he wasn't really like his two friends. Unlike them, he had a much more interesting nightlife, and because of that he spent a lot of his free time catching up on lost sleep or undone homework. He didn't really have time to dedicate to gaming, unlike Piko and Kaito. He was sure that Rin used his console more than he did.

"Len?" a female voice addressed him from some distance away. He didn't have to turn to recognise the sound of glass chiming. "Your score, the one you're focused on completing...your secret project, may I see it now, really quickly?" all three of them turned towards the speaker, who had covered the distance to their table and was now standing directly behind Len. Len was staring at her, quite shocked that she was speaking to him of her own accord. After what she said to him during Music class, he was under the impression that she didn't want anything to do with him outside of their lessons. "It's just...there's something incredibly familiar about it. I just want to check if it's what I remember," her green eyes bored into him. He was finding it hard to swallow, and he was actually somewhat confused as to why she would come to his table during break just to ask him about this.

"It's a private project though. I'm not particularly keen on letting people I don't know well look at it. Sorry," he managed. He couldn't possibly just let her see the score, not when it was such a private thing. He admitted before that he didn't think he deserved the privilege of privacy, given his deviant behaviour, but this short piece of music was a real secret and he intended to keep it to himself for as long as possible. It was more than just a piece of music to him. He got the feeling that if he could replicate the song perfectly, it would be the key to his past, and that was one thing he desperately wished to unlock. There was something from his childhood he wanted to remember, but what?

Her face fell slightly, but she was rather persistent. "I might be able to help you finish your project," she offered. He didn't doubt her proficiency – she had proved to him that she was very good at music, and was probably at the same standard as him or maybe even better. He knew that she would be able to tweak the piece beautifully, and maybe even get it perfectly, like the tune he heard when he was little. But he shook his head, nevertheless. This was something he had to do alone.

She sighed, but thanked him anyway before moving away from the table. He hadn't missed the fervent light of excitement in her eyes when she asked him for the score, and he wondered why she was so excited about seeing the piece. She had to be really eager, to come to his table during break despite not wishing to be associated with him. However, her excitement made him feel a little possessive about his secret. He always thought that this hauntingly beautiful melody was a part of his childhood, and his alone. It was supposed to be something exclusive and wonderful, a rare treasure he could call his own. But since Hatsune Miku said it was vaguely familiar to her as well, maybe it wasn't as exclusive as he thought it to be. Kaito and Piko, who had been quiet up till this point, suddenly started talking all at once. "Wow, is that a new girl? She's hot," Piko mused.

"What did she want? I've never seen you deny a girl anything before, Len," Kaito raised an eyebrow, smiling suggestively. Len ignored him, still absorbed in his own world. "But yeah, she's hot," Kaito added absentmindedly, agreeing with Piko. Both of them laughed, but Len heard what they said and he acknowledged that yes, Miku was hot. In fact, she wasn't just hot, she was beautiful. She might have rejected him but that didn't taint his eye for beauty; she was extremely pretty, with her large green eyes and her pert, cute upturned nose. And her lips...she had a tiny mouth with pink lips, pouty and highly kissable. It was such a pity that she rejected him before he could make a move.

"Are you going after her then?" Kaito asked, repeating the question he asked this morning. At first, Len had said no. She was too cold, and he didn't want to force himself upon someone who was unwilling. But he was very interested in this girl now, since she displayed an equal interest in his secret project. And it may have helped that she rejected him, since now that he was feeling better about being turned down, it actually made him a little more determined to win her over. Seeing Rin flirting with Kaito may have contributed to his sudden recklessness too – either way, he resolved then that he would seduce Miku and get her into bed with him. It would be an interesting challenge.

"I don't know," he answered, looking at her as she cut across the cafeteria, her hips swaying in the most tempting way as she walked. He could always change his mind...but then he remembered her curiosity, her flashing green eyes, her placid smile when she told him to leave her alone, and he turned away from her, looking back at his two friends. He grinned. "But probably yes."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Some M-rated scenes here, you can skip if uncomfortable. The more important thing is the idea of what he's doing, you don't necessarily have to read the details. Anyway, it's not a very graphic scene but it is important for the plot to advance._

* * *

Hatsune Miku sighed, setting her pen down on her notebook. She couldn't stop thinking about the music score Len had composed. She knew there was something familiar about the piece of music, but she hadn't really gotten a good look at it – she just saw the first three bars and knew that it was similar to the song she knew, but it wasn't exactly the same. What did that similarity mean, then?

It had been a long time since she last came to this town. Her parents had moved away from here when she was ten years old, taking her with them, and for the past eight years she had been travelling around the globe, settling in all sorts of places. She had been to almost every continent – Antarctica was the only one they never visited, for which she was glad since she could not tolerate the cold – and during that process, she had learnt plenty about different people and cultures.

She was used to being the odd one out. Her hair alone made her different, but sometimes she felt even more of a stranger when they settled in the tropics, and her green eyes and pale skin made her look extremely different from the natives there. She had the kind of skin which simply couldn't tan. She just sort of reddened and, when her skin recovered, it would be as fair as it always was. After a while, once she was past the confusing turmoil of emotions and fear that was puberty, she found that there was no point in her trying to fit in anywhere. She would do better to embrace her differences and focus on what she really wanted to achieve, so she decided that no matter where she went she wouldn't distract herself from her studies. And now, she was back where she started.

Her parents were lucky. When they made the decision to move back to their hometown, they found that the house they used to live in was back on the market, so they had promptly snapped it up and now, she ran her fingers across the familiar, yet unfamiliar, walls of her room. Whoever lived in this room after she moved away had repapered her room, and now instead of her calming old blue wallpaper, the room's walls were plain creamy white, the furniture in the room replaced by glass, steel and sleek, minimalistic curves and edges. She guessed that the person who lived here was probably in their early twenties, just like she would be in a few years. The decoration was nice, she just wasn't used to it – but the rooms and the house were comforting, nevertheless.

After her lunch break, she didn't have any classes with Len so she didn't have any other chances to peek at his mysterious folder. He really did have talent, she couldn't deny that. All of the pieces he composed were sad, but remarkably compelling. He used no fancy directions, had no unnecessary embellishments. But his lines were graceful and the melody flowed in such a beautiful, natural way that she had to be impressed. It sounded like he was pouring his heart and soul into every composition, in a way she couldn't imagine possible for someone like...well, him.

After she moved back here, the first thing she had done was catch up with her cousin, Mikuo, who was the same age as she was. They had the same teal hair and green eyes, and people had often commented on their resemblance when they were younger. He helped her catch up with the latest gossip here, throwing out names which she had once found familiar. It was fun actually, laughing with her cousin and gasping as he told her about all the outrageous things her old friends and classmates had gotten up to. Most of those old friends had either moved away too, or gone to other schools in town to study, but it was entertaining to hear about them nevertheless.

Then he mentioned that Kasane Teto, the over-enthusiastic girl she remembered was in her class when she was younger, had just recently gotten her heart broken and was eating so much bread and chocolate that he actually worried about her. Miku then casually asked who had broken the girl's heart – Teto was fun and affable, she couldn't imagine anyone dumping her unless they were the quiet kind who disliked chatter. At this, Mikuo hesitated as though he had just remembered something, and it was only after a few moments did he say the two words, "Kagamine Len".

She thought she had misheard at first. "Len?" she repeated, not quite sure if her cousin was referring to the same boy she remembered. Mikuo made a noise of assent, and as she stood there with the phone pressed to her ear, her green eyes staring at nothing, her cousin dove into all the rumours and stories, the name the blond boy had made for himself the past few years, and she listened. She could hardly bring herself to believe it, for the Len she once knew when she was younger hadn't seemed _anything_ like what her cousin described, but she didn't think that Mikuo was lying. The next day, she visited him, he told her more, and it was only then that she truly believed.

She sighed. It would be better for her if she started on her homework instead of thinking about this town's gossip stories. She was hardly interested in the sordid affairs of Kagamine Len, anyway. It was only her first day and she had enough homework on her plate – she did think about whether she ought to invite Mikuo out for dinner, since her parents were back in their old home still trying to sort out a few things, and she would be alone at home for the entire week. She knew her cousin would welcome her company, they were close as children and had kept in contact even after her family moved all over the place. But at the same time, she didn't want to intrude. She had taken up enough of his time yesterday, so it wouldn't be very nice for her to bother him again, even if it was welcome.

Still, she couldn't seem to get the idea of Len out of her head. She sat at her new cold, smooth glass table with her laptop open and humming before her, her fingers poised to type, and she couldn't think of a single word to write. She couldn't stop thinking about that familiar score and its composer. Her eyes closed as she remembered his face and the way he had looked at her, when she told him that she wasn't interested in him – he had looked so surprised, as though he never realised that there could be a girl who would turn him down. It just spoke for the kind of person he had grown up to be, and she didn't want to associate herself with someone like him, even if she secretly wished she could talk to him normally. It would be nice to catch up with him, though he had forgotten her…

No, she had to stop thinking about things that wouldn't help her achieve her goals. She wanted to do newswriting in university with a double major in Literature, so she needed a great GPA to qualify for such a rigorous course. Her current GPA, carried over from her previous school, was good enough but she couldn't slack off just because it was _good_ enough. She had to be perfect, she had to be the best otherwise she might not get what she wanted. Her mouth set resolutely, she flipped open a book of Larkin's poetry and got to work on the assigned Literature essay. It would be a long night.

* * *

Len was exhausted, but in a good way. His stomach was satisfied and he was actually done with his homework, including that Larkin essay he had due next week. He knew he still had plenty of time to finish it, but since he was doing up all his homework, he figured he might as well do that too.

Now, he lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling. The black wallpaper on his ceiling was covered in silver stars and swirls that represented the galaxies and the night sky. He had done this ceiling when he was younger and innocent about the ways of life and love, and although he had redecorated his room since then, the ceiling was the one thing he never bothered to change. It was actually rather calming, looking at this piece of his childhood. Letting himself relax, he found a smile curving his lips as he thought back to the cause of his good mood tonight. He was rarely in a good mood at night.

He had gotten home early, just as his twin sister told him to do. She was busy setting the table by the time he was back – he had been held up by one of his teachers, who told him that he needed to come to class more often otherwise his participation grade was going to negatively impact his otherwise perfect scores. He nodded, acknowledging the warning, and the teacher then pulled him aside to talk to him about his future career options. By the time he was done with the interrogation, it was almost six, so Len had to hurry home as quick as he could, cursing the fact that his twin sister had merrily crashed his car last week and thus, travelling anywhere now took five times as long.

He reached the kitchen just as the clock showed a quarter past six, thankfully still fifteen minutes early. His mother was already home – she was a tall, elegant beautiful woman with blonde hair tied into a low bun and blue-grey eyes that seemed to pierce into your soul. His father was not home yet. "Mother," Len greeted as he walked into the kitchen, dropping his bag onto the floor so she could give him a light, one-armed hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Her other hand was occupied by her phone and she was firing rapid instructions down the line, so all she could do was nod at him in acknowledgement and gesture to the table, where Rin was now setting out the forks and spoons.

Rin was not the one who cooked dinner tonight, thank God. She was a terrible cook. He only ate her food when he had no choice, and generally only trusted her to make buttered toast. His mother was the cook tonight, which he looked forward to since his mother was an excellent chef and could make dishes that, in his opinion, easily rivalled those of Michelin-starred restaurants in town. But of course he was biased, she was his mother. "Your father will be a little late, he's caught in a traffic jam," their mother called as she set her phone down on the counter, pushing a few plates aside. "But he should be home in ten minutes or so, and then we can eat," she swept her arm proudly across the counter.

It was quite the feast. His mother had cooked _wagyu_ steaks with whipped potato and cream cheese sauce. She had also roasted a small chicken just in case the steak wasn't enough, and Len knew it wouldn't be enough – the steak was the size of his fist. It would be enough for his sister and mother, though. His mother had paired the steak with broccoli drizzled in oyster sauce and even had a light cheesecake for dessert, though he was sure the cake had been bought instead of baked. His mother was not a baker. Nevertheless, it smelled divine and he was looking forward to eating his share. It had been a while since he last ate anything cooked by his mother, since she was always so busy.

Rin sat next to him at their round table, and when their father was back they quickly exchanged greetings and asked about each other's day, before they all sat at the dining table and tucked into their steak. His mother had cooked his steak just the way he liked it – medium-rare, with a hint of blood – and it was now tender and succulent, the chunks of fatty beef melting in his mouth. He was enjoying himself; it had been quite a few weeks since they last had a family dinner, and his father's dry jokes about his company made for a light atmosphere. Len and Rin resembled their father greatly, though they had their mother's hair and her eye shape. They had their father's bright blue eyes and his strong, determined features, though naturally those features were softer on Rin.

He would like it if they had family dinners more often, or if his parents could talk idly with them for just a while longer after their meal. In the past, they often had time to spend together, and his family was very closely knit then. Actually, they still were very tight, but in recent months his parents' companies had encountered some trouble so they were still busy trying to fix it. His mother confided in him, telling him that it was very stressful but she was certain that they would have the issue resolved soon, while his father, as always, remained tight-lipped about his work but assured them that this pattern of absence would not continue for much longer. Those words did lift his spirits, though he knew both him and Rin were disappointed that they couldn't spend more time together as a family. But at least he had a nice meal, and he had a proper conversation with his parents.

Now, he had nothing to do but to think. It was only slightly past twelve, which was a little early for him to sleep – he didn't think he could sleep any earlier than one in the morning even if he tried to. His body was just much too used to sleeping at strange hours of the morning. His gaze slid over to his bag, which he had tossed next to his desk the moment he came up to his room, and reluctantly he rose from his bed, reaching out towards his unzipped bag. He retrieved his file of musical scores and opened up the page with his personal project, humming the tune softly to himself. No, it wasn't what he heard in his childhood – the piece was beautiful, but it wasn't the _same_. He frowned.

The hardest thing was that he couldn't remember exactly what the piece was. He could tell if it wasn't the exact song he recalled from his past, but he had nothing to guide him, nothing to help him tweak the piece into complete perfection. It was so aggravating – there was always something, _something_ in the piece which was missing, and he couldn't figure out what it was. He was one of the best musicians in school but he had no luck with this composition, and there were quite a few days where he was tempted to quit and just leave the song as that. It was lovely enough by itself.

But an instinct within him told him that he couldn't give up on this. He could let go of anything else but he just _had_ to keep trying for this song, and he would try different arrangements, over and over again until he successfully unlocked its secrets. There was something in this elusive tune which might hold a key to his past, to the memories which lay floating and shimmering just beneath the surface. He was certain that once he heard the right piece, he would remember something, and then maybe his life would make some more sense. Maybe he would figure out why he ended up so strange, why he did all these things normal people wouldn't do, even though he didn't particularly enjoy himself.

Carefully, he set the folder down on his desk, reaching up with his other hand and undoing his blond ponytail. Perhaps he could just try to lie in bed and fall asleep – maybe for once he would be able to sleep early. Changing quickly into a comfy pair of linen shorts and a white, well-worn tank top, he ducked out of his room and headed to the bathroom, determined to wash up and brush his teeth before his sister could hog the bathroom for her daily, hour-long beauty ritual. However, while he was creeping down the hallway to the bathroom, he heard a loud giggle emanate from her door and, unwillingly curious, he found himself going back to her room to take a look. There was a little crack in the door, and through it he could see and hear exactly what his twin was doing.

Rin was evidently on her phone, and from the faint blushing and the high-pitched giggles he inferred that she was talking to Kaito. She was dressed in some _very_ sexy black lingerie – he hadn't even known that Rin had underwear like that – and, while she listened on the phone, she leant back against her pillows, and he could see her hand creeping down her flat, pale stomach towards her black lacy panties. He was mesmerised by the sight, rooted firmly to the spot as his sister's blush deepened at whatever Kaito said on the phone. Suddenly, her slim fingers dipped beneath the hem of the black lace and she let out a soft, breathy moan, her hips bucking against her fingers.

He was horrified by what he was watching but he couldn't stop looking either – it was like watching a car accident in terrible slow motion. His sister was still on the phone, her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted in ecstasy – he could see her fingers dipping and moving through the semi-sheer lace and felt a sudden, almost overwhelming urge to storm into her room, tear her panties off and plunge himself into her body. He could feel himself twitching and getting hard, the bulge in his pants increasing in size as he heard her soft giggles and her breathy moans. He could see the pleasure on her face and hated that it was Kaito's words which made her look this way instead of _him_ – he had no doubt that he could make Rin feel _much_ better than her own fingers could. His shaft throbbed.

He whipped away from the crack in the door, hurrying back to his own room. Almost feverishly, he slipped his pants down to his ankles and grasped himself, ensuring that the door was firmly locked before he proceeded with what he wanted to do. Holding himself tightly, he closed his eyes and leant back against the wall, bringing to mind his sister's face as she moaned and squirmed in her bed. He imagined that he was on top of her, plunging himself into her wet, slick warmth, and his hand pumped faster, a soft whimper escaping his clenched teeth. He imagined himself pounding hard and fast into her tight, firm body and it didn't take him long before he groaned and found his release, making a mess all over his hands. Shaking from the raw pleasure, he slumped down on top of his desk and scrabbled for a tissue, wiping his seed up with trembling fingers. He hated himself.

What did he just _do_? He had masturbated to his sister. Like it wasn't bad enough that he had seen her touching herself – now, he was so horny that he wanted to watch more, he wanted to touch himself again. His shaft twitched, clearly still eager, and he looked down at himself in disgust. He shouldn't even have been spying on Rin. He shouldn't have been watching Rin doing something so private, especially not while she was talking to her boyfriend…the thought of Rin with another boy was like cold water being splashed across his face, and he looked down at himself as he suddenly went limp, his body clearly not enjoying the idea as well. He gritted his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut. Well, he certainly didn't like his sister being with another guy, but what else could he do?

After all, Kaito was his friend, and Len, being Rin's twin, shouldn't even be _liking_ her in the first place. He was not supposed to be having any romantic feelings whatsoever for his twin sister – she was born with him and he had seen her his whole life, for God's sake. He ought to be sick of her face by now. Looking at her was like looking at himself. His earlier satisfaction from the family dinner having dissipated, he hastily grabbed a pair of track pants and a black hoodie, intending to go out for a quick stroll around the neighbourhood. He wasn't going to be able to sleep after this, and he wasn't in the mood to lie restless in bed until he fell asleep, the memory of Rin's gasps still in his head.

His mother was downstairs, working in the living room. His father was sitting next to her, his laptop resting on the coffee table, clearly abandoned for now, while his head lay on his mother's lap. His mother was on the phone again, her free hand stroking his father's hair. It was a sweet sight, and Len took a moment to watch them with each other. They were clearly so at peace, despite the stress they had been facing at work lately. He wondered if he would be able to find such peace. That small pause at the staircase was enough time for his father to notice him, and the man sat up, glancing at Len in clear surprise. "Len? You're going out? At this hour?" he asked, loud enough for Len to hear him but not so loud that it would interrupt his wife's phone call. Len glanced at the clock.

"It's only half past twelve. I couldn't sleep," he answered, walking towards his father and keeping his voice low. His mother glanced at both of them, but didn't break her conversation on the phone. She sounded mildly annoyed, and Len didn't want to know what incident the unfortunate person on the other side must be reporting was. "I'll be fine, I'll stick to the lit areas and be back before one," he promised, though inwardly he smirked. He had walked the dark streets of this suburb more times than he could count, and he knew perfectly well how to defend himself here. Besides, nothing ever happened in this sleepy place. The inner city was dangerous. The suburbs, not really.

"Well, all right. Be sure you're back by then," his father whispered, holding his gaze. "It's a school night, and I won't have your teacher calling me to report your tardiness yet again. You understand me, Kagamine Len?" Len nodded, and his father went back to resting his head on his mother's lap. Len quickly slipped out of the house, not forgetting to grab the keys from the hook behind the door, and found a cool breeze caressing his face, the dark velvet of night wrapping around him like a glove. It was familiar and peaceful, especially now that the neighbourhood was quiet and most lights were switched off. Len liked this place at night. It was the kind of quiet peace that let you hear your own thoughts and think about the things you did in the day. It gave you the chance to contemplate.

He started to walk. It wasn't the first time he was taking a midnight stroll around the suburbs, and whenever he went out so late he always took the same route through the place. Up and down the streets and then, when he reached the last street, he cut across through the junction until he was back where he started. It didn't really matter to Len where he walked or what he saw – he liked the process of walking without having to think about a destination. It helped him to sort through his thoughts, and he knew that right now, he most definitely had to think about what he just did.

It was wrong, it was definitely wrong, and he was stupid. He was stupid to have given in to the urge to touch himself, just because he saw his sister touching _herself_. It wasn't even his name she was moaning, and he knew that technically he shouldn't want her to think of him that way at all, but he had been living with this dark, perverse desire for so long that when he saw his sister masturbate, his will just crumbled entirely. He rubbed the back of his hand against his eyes, utterly disgusted at himself, but there was a small part of him that most certainly did not regret his actions. He hated that part of himself. It was the same part which convinced him that sleeping with girls was fun, was good, would help him relax…would help him find himself. Now he was just a hopeless idiot who had gotten himself into a vicious downward spiral. What the hell was he even doing with his life, really?

He walked along the streets with his hands shoved in his pockets, putting his hood up against the breeze. It got stronger the further he walked. He looked up at the night sky, seeing the stars scattered across the inky black, and thought that they didn't really look much like his ceiling anymore. His artistic talents as a young boy hadn't really been up to par. Or maybe it wasn't that the stars had changed or moved. Maybe he was the one who changed, and because of that everything he saw changed too. He must have changed in some way; something must have _made_ him change because he knew there was a point in his past where Rin was truly nothing but a sister to him. When did the sibling affection change into something different? He really couldn't remember anything.

This was why he was so desperately trying to unlock the secret of that music piece. He couldn't help but think that the score was the piece to that puzzle, the key to the elusive memory he had been trying so hard to retrieve. If he knew _why_ or _when_ he fell in love with his twin, surely that would give him a clue as to how to _stop_. He wanted to be normal. He didn't want to feel any attraction to his sister, be it romantic or sexual. If only there was a way to unlock the music score as soon as possible. But he couldn't just let anyone help him; he had such a private reason for why he wanted to finish the music piece, and to just let someone he didn't know well help him with it seemed intrusive.

He looked up from the pavement, aware he had walked quite a distance already. He found himself in front of a house, the ground floor completely dark while the first floor had a single window lit up. He blinked in surprise – he remembered seeing this place just last week, and back then the "For Sale" sign had still been stuck on the front yard. Someone must have just recently moved into the house then. He wondered who it could possibly be, when he caught some movement from the lit window on the first floor. He saw a girl walk towards the window and stare out at the night sky for a while, thankfully never looking down to the opposite street to see him standing there, gaping at her. He couldn't see much of her features since she was standing with her back towards the light, and all he could see was her silhouette, but he could see the curve of her figure and knew it was a girl.

He saw the slope of her shoulders and suddenly remembered his gaze tracing over the exact same slope just this afternoon in music class. He frowned – surely it couldn't be that coincidental. But before he could look again to confirm his suspicions, the girl disappeared from the window, and he was left standing there and watching her house intently, weighing the odds of Hatsune Miku moving into the house just a few lanes away from his. He was really very curious, plus his self-disgust at his actions earlier propelled his reckless decision – he walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

After the echoes of the knock faded away, there was nothing but silence, and after a while Len began to think that the person inside the house was not going to answer the door. He thought about whether he ought to knock again, but the heady recklessness was fading from his system and he was now thinking about what a stupid thing he had just done. There was no way the girl inside would just open the door for a random stranger. Shrugging, he decided that it would be best for him to head on home, but just as he turned away from the door, he heard the wood creak and he whipped back around, searching the gaze of a very, very surprised Hatsune Miku. She was staring straight at him.

He didn't know what to say, so for a while the two of them just watched each other. She was dressed in a thin white nightie, one of the silky straps slipping down her pale, bare shoulder. Her long hair was loose and flowing, no longer in the tight braids he saw this morning, and her eyes were even more droopy than usual – she must be preparing to wind down for the night. He forced himself to speak first. "Well, hi," he managed, "I saw that this house was finally sold and I was just curious about who had moved here. I…I live a few streets down from here. Didn't expect that it was you."

"Kagamine Len," she said softly, her gaze still darting from feature to feature of his face, studying it. He was beginning to fidget, the awkwardness of their situation getting to him. "Well, now you know who lives here," she said abruptly, backing away and preparing to close the door, "you should go back home now, it's late and we have school tomorrow." But before she could fully close the door, he stuck his foot in the gap, stopping the door from shutting. His arms shot out, trying to prevent her from retreating inside, and she opened the door again, mild annoyance mixed with curiosity in her expression. She clearly wanted to know what he was doing here, and to be honest, he had no idea. But he didn't want to go home so soon, so he would stay here for as long as he could.

"I…I decided that maybe we can work on the score I have," he blurted out, that being the first thing he could think of which would probably pique her interest. She raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, and he went on, almost babbling in his haste. "I know I can't do it alone, and you seem like you're pretty good at music too. So I guess I don't mind having a partner. But…" he hesitated here, his mind having finally caught up with his mouth, making him realise the gravity of exactly what he was saying. "You have to promise that you won't tell a _single soul_ about what I'm composing, not even your parents or your boyfriend or anyone close to you. This is just between you and me, okay?" he held her gaze firmly. "It's really important to me, I hope you understand," he added.

She pursed her lips, clearly thinking over what he was saying. Some part of him still couldn't believe that he had stumbled across Hatsune Miku's house – the girl which, only this afternoon, he had decided he would attempt to seduce – during a midnight walk to clear his head. This night had just been a whole series of strange coincidences. He also thought about what he was proposing here, and hoped that he wouldn't regret his impulsive invitation. "All right, I won't breathe a single word about your score to anybody," she finally said, green eyes glancing up to meet his gaze. She looked almost defensive. "What's so special about this compared to your other songs?" she asked him.

He looked at her, then looked around him, one arm absentmindedly reaching up to rub the other – even through his hoodie, he was starting to feel cold. The night breeze was picking up a little, and the air went from pleasantly cool to mildly chilly. She noticed. "Oh, I'm sorry! Do come in. But let's make this quick, I wanted to turn in since we have school tomorrow," she stepped aside and he slipped past her, a corner of his mind awed at how no-fuss she was and how well she handled this whole encounter. He was sure any other girl would have overreacted about someone showing up outside her house and suddenly throwing out an offer to collaborate on a musical project. She must have really wanted to see the score he had hidden. Why was she so interested in this one work?

But he didn't let any of those inner thoughts show up as he walked into the living room, turning back to smile at her knowingly. "Oh, don't worry," he blinked innocently as she closed the door, turning around to face him with narrowed eyes. "If you want me to be quick, then quick I shall be."


	4. Chapter 4

Len sometimes wondered if he was rash or just plain stupid. Of course, knocking on a stranger's door past midnight and leaking out one of his most closely guarded secrets weren't the stupidest things he had ever done…but he had to admit that they ranked pretty high on the list.

Miku was sitting opposite him, holding on to a cup of steaming hot cocoa. He had a cup of his own too, but it was resting before him on the glass coffee table, completely untouched. He felt out of his element here – this whole house was so sleek and modern and it was completely unlike what he was used to. His house was vintage and rustic, with just the perfect touch of homeliness to it. His house was one that felt _lived in_. Miku's house was cold and perfect, but at the same time so untouchable.

But that wasn't surprising. She had only moved in here recently, and to be honest Len couldn't actually remember ever seeing another family here before. He vaguely remembered a young businessman snapping this house up a few years back, but he was rarely spotted around the neighbourhood since he was always jetting off elsewhere for work. Few people had passed through the front door of this house. "So…where are your parents?" he asked, sounding unbelievably awkward. He normally did not sound this uncertain about himself. He was smooth and suave, but she was the first girl who had ever rejected him so bluntly and he wasn't fully recovered yet.

"They flew back to our old house overseas. There are a few more matters they had to clear up there, and then they'll be back here. Hopefully we're settling here for good, but I don't intend to move away even if they do. I'm old enough to look after myself," Miku answered primly, taking a sip from her cup. He stared intently at the dark brown liquid in his own cup, two marshmallows floating on top of the surface. He didn't really know how to begin a conversation with her, but he really appreciated her hospitality. The heat of the cup warmed his hands up perfectly, and he was just waiting for the hot chocolate to cool down a little before he drank it. He had a very sensitive tongue.

"That's good," he answered absentmindedly, silence falling between them again. He looked around the living room, curious about the place she lived in. There was a flat screen television in front of the coffee table, and he was seated on a sleek leather armchair. Miku was curled up on the long sofa next to his chair, which was made from the same glossy black leather. The wallpaper was a totally pristine white, but the soft lighting made everything seem a little bit yellow. There were potted plants situated strategically around the room, making it seem slightly more welcoming. He looked down at the floor and saw wooden planks, perfectly cut and spaced and largely hidden by the fluffy white rug beneath his feet. Miku certainly lived in a comfortable looking house, even if it didn't have the same homey vibe as his. "And how did you find school today?" he continued making small talk.

"It was fine," she shrugged, blowing a little on the surface of her hot chocolate, her pale hands cupping the warm ceramic. She was watching him with something almost like suspicion in her eyes, but when he turned to look directly at her she dropped her gaze towards her lap. "I learnt some of these things in my previous school already, actually. This school is slower," she ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her cup, still carefully refusing to meet his gaze. "And everyone here seems to be pretty nice. I shared the same History class with your sister, I think. She looks just like you."

The mention of his sister sent a jolt through his body and he unwillingly thought back to what he saw just an hour ago. He coughed, hoping that his face wasn't turning red. "Yeah, my sister is Kagamine Rin. We're twins. She's the older one," he didn't know what else to say. Miku looked at him now as though she wanted to say something, but instead she averted her gaze again, this time looking at the glass coffee table. Her lips were pressed firmly together. "Okay, so you wanted to know about my score, right?" he finally said. No point in both of them dancing around this topic and pretending that they were good friends. She looked up then, something akin to relief flooding her green eyes.

"Yes, I'm really curious about it," she started, setting her cup down. At the same time, he reached out for his hot cocoa, inhaling the bittersweet scent of dark chocolate. His marshmallows were starting to melt into the chocolate. "I can swear I've seen something like that before somewhere. I heard it once…when I was little…in a movie or something, I don't know," she pursed her lips, thinking hard as he took a sip of his drink. "But I really loved that song, that's what I remember. I couldn't recall the tune but when I saw your music sheet, something just _clicked_."

He lifted an eyebrow. "A movie?" he echoed. He didn't think that his special melody had ever been in any movie. Miku shrugged gracefully, settling back in her chair with her hands clasped loosely on her lap. She looked very relaxed, almost haughty, but her droopy eyes stopped her from seeming too cocky. It was a difficult feat to pull off – he knew that if he had been taking the same position in this armchair, he would look like an arrogant jerk. "I don't think this song was ever in a movie. I would know. I've been trawling through years after years of video and film…nothing showed up."

She frowned at that. "I know there's a connection to a movie or drama of some sort, though. That's where I remember hearing it, or at least what I think it is," she yawned then, lifting her hand to cover her dainty mouth. It was a very pretty, delicate sort of yawn, and suddenly he realised that it was already past one in the morning and she was probably tired. "I'm sorry that we have to cut this discussion short, but I'm too exhausted to think properly at the moment. Is it okay if we talk about this after school tomorrow?" she ran her fingers through her hair, raking her fringe away from her face. He hesitated. He wouldn't be free tomorrow, though he did want to continue talking to her.

"I can't make it. I have an appointment tomorrow in the evening," he said apologetically, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket. Sliding it out of his track pants, he saw he had three missed calls from his mother and a single text message telling him to come home soon. He hadn't noticed all that, not with him being fascinated by Miku's house and then feeling awkward about talking to the girl. She bit her lip, looking like she wanted to ask him something, but once again she held herself back. He watched her for a bit, but when it didn't seem like she would say anything he finally continued. "I can show you the sheet during lunch break though, or if we share any classes tomorrow. What do you have?" his Thursdays were a lot shorter than Wednesday, so he could probably find some time.

"Not much. I have Film Studies and Art History, then a lunch break followed by Math. Then another short break and gym class, and I'm done with school after that," she fiddled with a few strands of her long hair, watching him as he frowned, trying to match his own schedule to hers. "My lunch break is two and a half hours long, from half past eleven to one in the afternoon. I have double periods for Film Studies and Art History," she mentioned. He smiled, having found a common time.

"I can meet you at twelve. My lunch break starts then," he finished the cup of hot cocoa, licking his lips to get the chocolate off his mouth. "Well…thanks for the drink," he motioned with the empty cup. She nodded and he thought he saw a small smile cross her lips, and then they both rose from their chairs and he was standing in the middle of her living room, wondering how he was supposed to just… _leave_. It felt so strange to say goodbye and just go, since she was a girl and whenever he was alone with a girl they would do _much more_ than just talk and then walk out of the house.

"No problem," she held her hand out and he passed her the cup, sticking his free hand into the pocket of his track pants. His phone was a cold, hard surface against his fingers, and as he held on to the edge he felt his phone buzz again. Probably another message from his mother. "Do you need me to see you out?" she offered, sweeping her teal hair over one shoulder, her gaze never leaving him.

"It's fine, I'll see myself out," he hastily told her, not really wanting to spend any more time in her presence, at least not for tonight. She nodded, and he headed down the hallway towards the door, feeling a sort of burden being lifted from his shoulders. It was too much pressure, staying here and making small talk with this girl he barely knew. It wasn't a routine he was comfortable with – he never really had to hold a conversation with anyone, normally he just smiled and whispered a few words and then their clothes would be off and he would leave, silent and mysterious, before dawn.

But he knew he couldn't do that with Miku. She was much, much too guarded around him. And she most likely wasn't interested at all in him – a truth, but one that was difficult to admit, nevertheless. "I'll see you in school later then," he glanced back at her. She had followed him to the doorway of the living room and was looking at him from the other side of the corridor. "Have a good night," he muttered, before turning around and letting himself out. She didn't say anything in response, and when he was outside the house he felt the cool night air against his face and he let out a quiet sigh.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he made the trek from Miku's place to his own house, which was two streets down from this one. The wind blew his blond hair back and forth, making him regret not tying his hair up before he left the house. Yanking up his hoodie to protect his exposed face from the night breeze, he shivered a little in his thin jacket and track pants and moved a little faster, eager to return to the comforting warmth of his room. He was sure Rin was asleep by now, since it would be two o'clock soon. That was good; he wouldn't have to face her quite so soon then.

His parents were probably up and still working. He would tell them the truth about where he had gone – his parents were pretty lenient so they wouldn't mind, though of course they didn't know what he was doing most of the time when he was outside. They were liberal, but not to _that_ extent – he was sure his father would have a fit if he was aware that his son was going around sleeping with any woman who wanted him. For just this aspect, he was thankful that his parents often worked odd hours and this family dinner they had was usually pretty rare. It would be difficult for him to explain his frequent late night jaunts and why he returned home so late even on school nights, otherwise.

His house was approaching, the windows still lit, and he found his footsteps slowing a little, the sudden urge to dawdle a while longer outside making him tarry. "I didn't get her number," he realised aloud, followed by a soft groan of annoyance. Now how was he supposed to contact her during lunch? She might not be in the cafeteria when he was released from class, since her break was so long. Oh well. It would be better for him if they couldn't find each other, actually. Then he could keep his music score secret for just a while longer. It would take a while before he got used to the idea that this melody was no longer exclusive to him. It felt like he had to give up part of himself.

Reaching his house, he quickly unlocked the front door and slunk in, hoping to get past his parents unnoticed – they were still in the living room. However, his eagle-eyed mother, who was now curled up against his father and idly watching something on television, spotted him the moment he stepped inside and beckoned him over. Sighing to himself, he ambled over and stood next to the couch, awaiting a lecture from his parents. His father was now working on something on his laptop, so he didn't look at Len, but he did acknowledge his son's return home with an absentminded nod. His mother turned around, regarding him with something almost like uncertainty on her face.

He could see Rin in his mother's face, and he could see himself too. "We know you've been doing well in your schoolwork, so I won't lecture you about sleeping late and how that would affect your grades. You're old enough, responsible enough, to understand what your grades mean for your future," his mother began, and he could see her wring her hands, as though nervous. He frowned – suddenly, this talk seemed to be a lot more than just a warning against him staying out late. "It's just that your father and I have been talking about the past, and it suddenly occurred to me that…that we don't know how much you've progressed since _that_ incident, you know? We never really wanted to bring it up because we didn't know if you even still remember, but you weren't answering your phone and I was…call it paranoia, but I was so afraid that _something_ happened…" she ended with a light sob.

Len blinked, stunned. He didn't really know what to say, watching as his graceful mother hiccupped slightly, wiping her fingers underneath her eyes. His father looked up then, rubbing his hand across her back comfortingly, but he didn't deviate fully from his work – his whole family was rather used to his mother's theatrics. She was just a _tad_ melodramatic, but Len knew she was just concerned about him. "I'm fine, Mother. Really. And I do remember that incident," he knew which one she was talking about. There could only be one thing in their past that his entire family referred to in such a manner – such a secretive, furtive manner, as though just the mention of _this_ incident would curse them somehow. "There are rarely cars out here late at night. And I'm old enough to be careful."

She nodded, still wringing her hands, and his father glanced up again, this time looking right at him. "We know you'll be careful. And we don't mind you staying out late at night. You're a boy, after all," his father said this with a casual dismissiveness that would probably offend some people, but he was used to this preference. His family was pretty modern with their thinking but they still adhered to the idea that boys were safe outside late at night; girls were not. Rin had a strict curfew and she often complained to him about how overprotective their parents were of her. Of course, Len thought that was rather silly. Rin was even more capable of looking after herself than he was. "But we were hoping that you would wear…lighter colours when you're outside at night," he indicated Len's fully black outfit, which made him blend into the night as though he was nothing but a shadow. "Just so that headlights would, you know…reflect off you. We'd rather not tempt Fate."

Len slowly nodded. "Yeah, I understand. I'll keep that in mind in the future," he reached up to scratch the back of his head, a yawn gracing his lips. He was beginning to feel a little tired. "I'll let you know where I'm going and everything as well," if they happened to catch him slipping out, that was. He understood and appreciated his parents' concern – if he was in their shoes he would no doubt be worried for his child too – but a teenage rebelliousness that lay somewhere deep inside him was still uncomfortable with his movements being monitored by his parents like that. "Anyway, apparently one of my new classmates moved into the vacant house a few streets down from here. I saw her so I dropped by to say hi, and I lost track of time…but yeah, I'm back now, so no biggie."

"A new student?" his mother perked up at the sound of that. His mother was a bit of a social butterfly and enjoyed meeting new people. "That's nice of you to visit them. Maybe after my work business is finished we can invite your classmate over, get to know them a little better. And here I was, wondering if you actually had any friends besides Kaito and Piko! I mean, they are _dears_ , but it would be nice if you met some new people," his mother giggled like a child, glancing at his father. Len felt his lips twitch – if his mother was aware of just how many _girls_ he knew, she would have an aneurysm. He knew his mother wanted him to find a girlfriend soon, since he was already eighteen and he had yet to introduce a single girl to his parents. That was probably why she was so excited now about him socialising. He hadn't even told her whether this new classmate was a girl or a boy.

"Yeah well, she's not really my type," he shrugged. "It just happens that we're partners for the music final so there's that," his mother's eyes turned as wide as saucers, but before she could question him on why he had a partner this year when he normally neglected to find one, he cut in. "I'm really tired and it's a school night so I'm going to sleep now, good luck with your…your work," he waved his hand vaguely at his father's laptop and slipped up the stairs, glad to have escaped his mother's questioning. He loved his parents but _God_ , sometimes his mother asked way too many questions.

Rin's door was firmly closed, and even the minute crack he had seen earlier was gone. He couldn't hear anything coming out from her room, so he turned away from her door and walked into his haven, flopping down in bed without bothering to change out of his track pants. He did take off the hoodie though, carelessly tossing the jacket onto his chair. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the incident his mother had mentioned. Just the very memory of that made his head hurt.

"I do remember," he spoke to his ceiling, feeling restless. His arm was resting over his forehead, and the stars seem to swirl above him in all their cold, childish splendour. It couldn't compare to the night sky outside, but it tried, and he tried too. He tried very hard to remember, but he couldn't remember everything, and he wondered if he was doomed to remain like this forever.

* * *

Miku woke up an hour earlier than she had to, her body clock still struggling to synchronise itself with her new surroundings, so she spent half an hour in the kitchen brewing up a fresh pot of tea. The smell of tea was soothing, and it always helped her to relax a little before the start of the day.

She sat in the kitchen, skirt folded neatly beneath her, her gaze fixed on the white tiles of the kitchen wall. She didn't know how to feel about today. She would have a chance to look at Kagamine Len's music sheet, but she didn't feel…excited about it, not really. She knew she ought to be delighted, she ought to be falling all over herself at a chance to explore her past – but she wasn't. If there was one thing she had learnt when she was travelling the globe with her parents, it was that holding on to memories was difficult and it brought unnecessary pain to herself. Did she really want to dive into a past she once thought abandoned? She had resigned herself to discarding those first ten years of her childhood. Why was she bringing that up again, and undoing her careful work from all these years?

She lifted the smooth dark ceramic to her lips, taking a sip of tea. It was green tea – she had chanced upon green tea in one of the countries they lived in prior to this, and she had fallen in love with the slightly bitter, aromatic taste of the liquid. When she came here, the first thing she had done was source for green tea, and although the only thing she found were the commercial packet kind with barely any taste to them, she was glad. It was better than nothing. Closing her eyes, she savoured the taste of the tea – almost bland, yet not quite, a sharp undercurrent of taste dancing on her tongue as she rolled the tea experimentally around her mouth. It would do. Satisfied, she swallowed her gulp of tea, ignoring the heat as the tea slipped down her throat. She still had so much time.

Her gaze drifted to the neatly stacked cups in the rack, landing on the light blue one with the happy smiley emblazoned on one side of the cup. It was entirely too cheesy for her, she hated that cup; but it matched Kagamine Len's hair and eyes so she thought it was funny to let him use it last night. She certainly hadn't expected him to come to her house, and it had almost been automatic when she let him inside to speak with her. It would have been rude to leave an acquaintance just standing outside when she was talking to him, and her upbringing even dictated that she make him a drink, though the whole time she was wondering what he was doing here and what he could want from her.

In hindsight, it hadn't been too surprising. She lived in the same neighbourhood as him, after all. She just admitted that she didn't consider this possibility as she thought that maybe…maybe he had already moved away, and maybe he no longer kept his old habit of walking around the neighbourhood. But it seemed like people rarely broke their habits. She should know – she herself was proof of that. Every day for the past five years, ever since her parents had trusted her to use the kettle by herself, she had woken up in the morning to make herself a nice hot drink. Sometimes, it was steamed milk. Sometimes, it was tea. Sometimes, it was coffee. It really depended on how she was feeling that day.

At night, Kagamine Len looked a little different from what she saw at school. In school, she saw a self-possessed, confident young man – no, not arrogant, and certainly not overbearing. But there was a certain air of self-awareness about him that made him particularly attractive. She could understand why there were girls in class who buzzed excitedly about his every move and dreamt of the day he would glance at her, those blue eyes softening with attraction, perhaps even love. But she understanding their desires didn't mean she wished to partake in them. After hearing what Mikuo told her about Len, she was rather determined to stay as far away from him as possible.

He was bad news. But bad news had this way of…making everyone notice it. People liked to look at tragedies, and Len always had something in his eyes that carried the same sense of melancholy. She noticed it her very first day. She knew those blue eyes, and knew that there was once they were light and carefree. This was an older Len, a different Len whose eyes were shadowed by experience and the loss of naivety. It did make her curious about what happened to him, but she also knew that people changed and it was no longer any of her business to probe. Nor should he be butting around in her business. She decided that as long as he kept out of her way, she would keep out of his, but at the same time she privately acknowledged that it was unlikely Len would truly leave her alone.

He was attractive in the day, but she knew she was pretty too. Attractiveness didn't really mean anything; in society, looks were just another asset to be exploited, a genetic silver spoon in the mouth, a pre-birth lottery. But at night he was awkward, he hesitated, he seemed more true to himself than he was in the day, and that unsettled her enough to make her listen to him. And now, she didn't know how to feel about him. If she helped him with the music piece, if they really managed to unlock it and they could remember what it meant for both of them, then what would happen from then on? She knew the music piece was from her childhood, and not just _any_ childhood – it was from her past more than eight years ago. And that was extremely dangerous territory.

If she thought about it too much she might just break down. All her life she had been walling that part of herself in, keeping it separate from the rest of her consciousness. It hadn't been her intention to do so, actually. But it was a self-defensive mechanism, because when she thought about her hometown all she could do was cry and long for her friends and her home. So her mind blocked it off, blocked everyone off, and she focused on her grades and on taking pride in her uniqueness. Coming back meant that this mental shield would start to disintegrate. But she hoped that it would hold and withstand the test of time. It was a new life now, she didn't need her past to cope here. No one here held any special significance to her, she reminded herself. No one but herself.

The clock struck seven o'clock, and she rose from her chair, deciding that it was time for her to leave for school. Class started in half an hour, and she was already cutting it pretty close. It would take her twenty minutes to cycle to school if she pushed herself a little, so she finished off the tea and quickly cleaned up, tossing the teabag in the bin and washing the cup before placing it on the rack to dry. Picking up her bag from the ground, she walked out into the weak, watery morning light, heading straight for the sleek cyan bicycle leaning against the porch. She liked to cycle and to feel the rush of the wind against her face. As she mounted her bike, she looked out across the neighbourhood and idly, she wondered if she would see Len on the way to school. But she hoped she would not.

* * *

Her lessons passed quickly. She met a few new people today, who all introduced themselves with looks of curiosity on their faces – there was Megurine Luka, a tall and shapely girl with lovely pink hair and calming blue eyes. She was beautiful, and when Miku told her so, the girl giggled, waving the compliment away. Miku wondered if she was called beautiful very often, and found it sad that nowadays, most guys seemed to think that 'hot' was considered worthy praise. Personally, if she was just called 'hot' by someone, she would be mildly offended. She was much more than just her body.

She also spoke to Rin as well, Len's twin sister. Rin talked to her as though they had never met – but that was right, they never really had besides yesterday in History class. It was just funny, looking at Rin and seeing her twin brother. They looked so similar, it made Miku wonder if the two of them had ever swapped clothes and impersonated each other before, just for a day. She would do it with Mikuo if she could persuade him to get into a skirt _and_ find a way to hide her long teal hair. She and her cousin looked quite similar as well, but Rin and Len were… _uncanny_. Then again, they were twins.

"Oh, you met Len!" Rin sounded surprised when Miku mentioned this – Rin had been asking who else Miku knew in their school so far. "He's a bit of a jerk," Rin looked uneasy mentioning this, some emotion flitting across her face as she spoke. "You definitely shouldn't get involved with him. I mean yeah, he's my brother, but…he's bad news," she shrugged. Miku slanted her gaze over to Rin, who smiled and continued as though nothing had happened. Did she know about her brother's doings? It couldn't be comfortable, knowing that your sibling was fooling around with girls and having to comfort your friends after he broke their hearts. She wondered if Rin had ever spoken to Len about that.

"You need to tell him to screw his head back on right," Yamaha Mizki stage-whispered to Rin, who just waved the girl's comments away and continued talking. They were all sitting together at Rin's lunch table – it was no surprise that Rin was well-liked in school, from what Miku understood being the twin sister of the infamous Kagamine Len had its own share of perks. But Rin herself was bubbly and cheerful, and it probably helped that she was tough and could hold her own in an argument. Miku found a strong girl to be particularly admirable, so she was pretty fond of Rin.

The three girls made noises of surprise and shock when Miku told them where she sat for lunch yesterday – given that she wasn't really that comfortable with most people yet, she had opted to eat her lunch outside in the courtyard. She defended her decision though. The courtyard was a nice place to be in, wide and spacious with wooden benches for her to sit on and no one coming to bother her while she was eating. Miku wasn't a loner, but she wasn't extremely outgoing either. She was as comfortable around other people's company as she was with her own. Rin declared that from then on, Miku always had to sit with one of them when eating, to which she finally acquiesced.

After a while of chatting and laughing – Miku was regaling her three new friends with tales of the various countries she had lived in, when she was younger – she glanced at her phone and saw that it was a little past twelve. She gasped, quickly putting her unfinished sandwich back in the plastic wrapping, meeting her friends' confused gazes. "I need to talk to someone," she explained, "we agreed to meet at twelve so I ought to look for him now. It's kind of important," she hesitated. Yes, it was just a piece of music, but it _was_ important for her. And she knew it was important for Len too, at least if it happened to be the same thing as she assumed it to be. Because if it was…

Mizki's look of surprise was becoming sly. "Oh, you need to talk to someone, eh?" she nudged Luka, who was seated next to her and staring at Miku with an expression of curiosity on her face. "Isn't it a little too soon to be interested in someone already?" the girl giggled. Mizki had long pink hair that was just a little longer than Luka's, and bright green eyes that seemed to glow more than her own. It made for a very intense, captivating kind of look, and her knowing gaze made Miku feel just a little uncomfortable. Miku hastily grabbed her bag, leaving her half-finished lunch on the table as she scrambled out of her seat, aware that her new friends and some of the other tables were all staring at her as well. She probably looked like she was running away from something. In a way, she was.

"I'll be right back, it'll be quick," she tossed over her shoulder, zooming out of the cafeteria as quickly as she could without actually running. Everyone was turning around to stare at her, and that was making her feel extremely out of place. But when she finally got out, exhaling in relief at having escaped all those questioning eyes, she groaned and slumped against the wall, wondering at how forgetful she could possibly be. In their arrangements last night, she and Len had forgotten just one thing, and now she stared at her phone angrily, although she knew that no amount of staring would change her current situation. The phone display showed that it was already fifteen minutes past twelve and honestly, she had completely no idea where Kagamine Len could possibly be.

Even though she didn't want to get herself involved with Len, it probably would have been a good idea if she had actually asked him for his number.


	5. Chapter 5

Miku decided against going back into the cafeteria. She didn't want to go back in so soon after dashing away from their table. Besides, she was pretty sure Len wasn't in the cafeteria. She sighed – they had been tired when they agreed to meet today, but forgetting to ask for his number had still been a very stupid mistake. Was she supposed to just wander around until she found him?

She still had around forty-five minutes before her next class, so she could afford to search for a while. Where could Len possibly be? She didn't even know what class he had before his break. A thought occurred to her – she could always go back to the cafeteria and ask Rin to contact her twin brother for her, but then everyone would know she was looking for Len. And after Mizki's suggestive response to her claim, she definitely _didn't_ want to be associated with the blond haired boy. Maybe it would be better if they didn't meet at all? She could always look for him after school ended, or maybe he would drop by her house again. She gnawed on her lower lip, one of her nervous habits.

Maybe she would go to the library. Len had liked reading in the past. She didn't know if he still spent his free time reading or if he devoted all leisure time to his other activities now, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt to take a look. Shrugging, she turned around and tried to find her way to the campus library, deciding that this would be a chance for her to familiarise herself with the school as well. She had a fairly good memory and that served her well whenever she went to a new school, since it did not take long before she remembered how to get to her classes and where all the different rooms were located. But looking around by herself wouldn't hurt either, so she set off, trying to recall where the library was. Someone had told her it was on this floor, but which part of this level exactly?

It took a few wrong turns and some help from the online campus map before she finally stumbled across the library, which wasn't really that far from the cafeteria. She stopped outside and looked up at the hanging wooden sign above the door, where 'Library' was printed in an old, antique looking kind of font. The double doors were carved and wooden, and Miku promptly decided that she quite liked this library. She liked nostalgia as much as she liked modernity, and this was a nice change from the cold glass and metal she faced at home, so with just the faintest hint of trepidation she pushed the door open and walked in, immediately feeling the cold blast of air that came from the air conditioner. It was cool and dry here and, as she glanced around, she saw it was mostly empty.

The library in this school was pretty big, at least bigger than her previous school. Her previous school had a library that was perhaps only a few times bigger than a classroom. This library was beautiful – high-ceilinged with numerous, evenly spaced bookshelves and a whole section towards the back where students could sit at long tables and read or study. There were a few individual tables along the sides of the library as well, lined along the wall from where she stood to the area with all the tables at the back. There were maybe three students here besides her, and they didn't really pay her any attention, two of them looking for something in the shelves and the other sitting at one of the individual tables, wearing a pair of white headphones that stood out against his jet-black hair.

She took a step forward despite knowing that Len wasn't here, curious about the kind of books this library had. She had been to all sorts of school libraries – some of them were filled with fiction and biographies, others only had educational books and there were a few which only had textbooks and a meagre collection of popular fiction. At first glance, this library appeared to have a nice, well-balanced collection of fiction, textbooks and research journals. She appreciated that, it was always nice to see a good array of books in a library, especially the school one. The two people who were searching for books were doing so under the research journal section, so she decided not to bother them and walked towards the fiction area. There were quite a few familiar titles here, and she hummed quietly to herself as her eyes scanned the rows of books and their various authors.

This was definitely a place she could see herself spending time in. There was no librarian at the moment, maybe they went to have their lunch or were in the backroom or something, but it was just as nice to not have an eagle-eyed woman watching her every move, as there was in her previous school. There, she hadn't been able to step into the library without a feeling of dread since there was no such thing as personal space when it came to the librarian. Her fingers brushed against the well-worn spines and stopped as she saw a familiar book by one of her favourite authors – she smiled in delight, taking the book off the shelf and staring at the familiar illustrated cover. She had the same book at home somewhere, but she hadn't finished unpacking all her books yet so she didn't quite know where it was at the moment. This book, as always, was a welcome sight.

It had so much sentimental value for her – this book was part of her childhood. Her childhood had its ups and downs; this book and the rest which came after it were certainly a happier memory. Sighing, she put the book back where it belonged and left the comfort of the shelves, deciding that she had dallied enough and it would be better if she went back to finding Len. He wasn't here, so where else could he possibly be? Glancing at her phone, she saw she had half an hour to go before class and quickened her footsteps, not wanting to waste any more time lingering here. She'd come back soon.

The boy who was studying alone was still listening to his headphones. She was a little amused by him actually since he was right in her line of vision when she left the shelves, and she could see him nodding his head and twirling his pen as he listened to whatever his headphones were playing. She bet he would be singing too, if they weren't in the library. She moved onwards, and when she was only a few steps away from him and the library exit, he turned slightly in his chair and their eyes met. She found her footsteps faltering as she met familiar eyes, the same colour as molten gold.

"Hey, Miku!" the boy spoke first, rising from his seat and breaking the silence. There was a grin on his face as he carelessly took the headphones off, placing them on the table. She was stunned by this sudden encounter – she didn't know he had been in this school as well. They hadn't been _super_ close or anything when she was younger but she knew him enough to remember his name. Mikuo hadn't said anything about him when she asked about her former schoolmates, and she just assumed that he had gone on to another school or moved away altogether, just like what so many of her old friends had done.

"Rei?" she whispered, still aware that they were in the library. She looked at the two people pursuing the bookshelves, who at the moment still seemed pretty unbothered by the commotion. "Oh wow, how are you? I didn't know you're still here!" she looked at the boy from head to toe as he reached up to ruffle his black hair, a familiar chipper smile on his face. He was still taller than her, still as lean and athletic as she remembered. He was dressed in a navy collared sweater and black slacks, and it made him look like a preppy college graduate. It was a look which suited him.

Kagene Rei was her classmate and had sat next to her in class for three years. They talked, but back then it was a little strange for a boy and girl to spend too much time together so they were not particularly close. But they were on friendly enough terms to invite each other to their birthday parties and say hello whenever they saw each other. Miku was also comfortable enough around Rei to borrow his things and forget to return them, and Rei never really bothered to chase her for his missing pencils and erasers. He was in the school's basketball team and was a prefect as well. Teachers adored Rei, and that came in handy when she needed someone to help her out when she wanted to skip certain classes. When she was younger, Miku had been a pretty rebellious child.

"Doing fine! You're looking well yourself," Rei whistled, and that earned them an irritated glare from one of the people at the shelves. "When did you come back? Oh, wait. When did you come _here_?" he leant back against his table, tilting his head curiously. Rei was still as handsome as ever, of course – she hadn't expected that to change. With his ashy hair and golden eyes, Rei had striking looks and it wouldn't be surprising if he was one day scouted as a model. Just a pity that he wasn't that tall, he was maybe only a head taller than her and she wasn't that tall to begin with. She always found it strange that Rei was so pale despite being in the sun and doing sports all the time, but she figured that he either used a lot of sunscreen or he simply had the type of skin which couldn't tan. The latter seemed more likely. Rei, despite his good looks, never paid that much attention to his appearance.

"Just a few days ago. Mikuo didn't tell me you were still in this town. I thought you'd moved away by now or something. My mum told me your parents always wanted to leave," she shook her head in amazement. This was just as strange as running into Len, or perhaps even stranger. Len's parents worked in companies based in this town and they were unlikely to move away, since they didn't have that many other offices. She had sort of guessed that she might run into Len again, so when she saw him she hadn't been very surprised. But Rei's father was one of the senior employees in some large, multinational company and she always thought one day the family would just up and leave.

"Well, they did go, actually," Rei looked somewhat uncomfortable at this question. "My parents I mean. But when they moved away I was already halfway through junior year and I thought, I didn't want to give up my last one and a half years when I'm already going to graduate soon. So I told them I'll be staying behind to at least graduate here, then I'll meet them overseas and attend college there instead," he beamed. Rei was cheerful and energetic – there was something about this boy which just made you want to stop procrastinating and do something productive with your life. He was definitely a good influence, just like her mother always told her. Maybe she should stick close to Rei and convince him to study with her – she would probably score an A on everything with his help.

Then she remembered that she was looking for Len. "Oh, actually I'm looking for someone! Did you happen to see Kagamine Len around anywhere?" she figured that it couldn't hurt to ask Rei. Rei never held grudges against anyone – at least, not the last time she looked – and if he was still as popular as he was in the past, he probably had _everyone's_ number and that would definitely be a great help. Rei blinked, looking startled when she mentioned the name, and she suddenly recalled that Len had a reputation for sleeping around. She swallowed, hoping that Rei wouldn't jump to conclusions – Miku was certainly not _that_ type of girl, and she didn't want him to think so either.

"Len, eh?" Rei stared at her, and she wondered what was going through his mind. She just hoped he didn't get the wrong idea. "Well, I don't know why you're looking for Len, people who look for Len generally want only one thing," he coughed, a sly grin on his face. "But if you're searching for him, he's in the library actually! Just go all the way to the back and you'll see a little door that leads to some place called the Reading Room. He's probably hiding there with some thick book on musical theory. Either that or he's banging some girl –" he abruptly stopped, evidently realising that he shouldn't be saying these things in front of her. "Sorry. But yeah, he's there. Go look for him!"

She thanked Rei, who coughed a little and adjusted his collar, sitting once more and determinedly placing his headphones back on. Quickly, she walked to the back of the library and saw, just as Rei described, a small wooden door with a glass panel situated right in the middle of it. The glass panel, which was about the size of an A4-sized piece of paper, had the words 'Reading Room' emblazoned on it in a black, stencilled font. She peered inside and saw someone on a chair or something inside – she saw blond hair but couldn't be sure if it was Len since the glass was kind of foggy and all she could make out were blobs of colour. Carefully, she opened the door and stepped into the room.

The door automatically swung shut behind her, making just the softest of 'clicks' as it fit perfectly back into the doorframe. The Reading Room was air conditioned as well, but it wasn't really as cold as outside, for which she was grateful. The room was pretty big and littered with giant beanbags. They looked pretty comfortable, and she was actually tempted to run over and throw herself down on one of them, but she caught the gaze of the room's only occupant and found herself swallowing nervously. Len was looking up from his book, a pair of red glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

"You found me," he commented, sounding faintly surprised. She didn't know whether she ought to feel proud or offended, since this also implied that he was purposely hiding from her despite their agreement that he would show her his music score. "See, this is what happens when you don't leave a number for me to contact. You have to go all over the place looking for me. But how did you know I was here?" now he sounded curious. She pondered, wondering if she should bother to tell him – after all, he was the one who had made himself so difficult to find, and apparently on purpose too.

"Rei told me," she finally said, setting her backpack down on the white marbled floor. Len had his feet propped up on a low table right in the centre of the room, surrounded by those giant beanbag chairs. Len tilted his head, something almost like curiosity at the sound of the name. Did Len even know who Rei was? Rei had been popular in her school when they were younger, but maybe things were different now – though she doubted anything would change much, not when he still had the same affable personality she remembered. "Kagene Rei," she added when he remained silent.

"I know," he sounded almost annoyed, but she couldn't be sure if he really was since his face was pretty blank. "He's on the Student Council, of course I know him. Plus he's on the basketball team. He's a friend of a friend. Didn't know you two actually knew each other," the upward inflection in his words made it sound more like a question, and Miku shrugged, wondering if she ought to go sit on one of the chairs as well. Len was still holding his book open in his hands, but the way he held it blocked the title of the book. From what she could see though, it didn't appear to be a musical theory book – theory books were generally bigger and the book Len was holding was scarcely bigger than his palms.

"Well, we were from the same school when we were younger. He hasn't changed much," she perched herself on one of the beanbags closer to her so that she wouldn't be too near to Len. Len placed a bookmark to remind him where he had stopped, then placed his book down carefully beside him, the front facing downwards so that she was unable to see what he was reading. The back of the book was blank. "So do you have the music sheet?" she asked. This was the main reason why she was here, after all. Len nodded, leaning down towards the black bag lying at his feet.

While he was searching through his bag, she took the chance to study his profile. His blue eyes were still the blue of a summer sky and his hair was golden blond, fine and shimmery. It was tied up into a small ponytail, something he had done ever since he was little. She could see the almost delicate features of his face – the high, arching cheekbones, the long feathery eyelashes and the semi-pout of his pale lips. These were all what she found familiar, but at the same time he had obviously grown. He had the chiselled jaw of an older teen, perhaps even a man, and the lean muscle moving beneath his shirt probably wouldn't be found on the frame of a child. Then she realised that she was outright ogling him and hastily averted her gaze. She didn't want him to think that she was being rude, or even worse – that she was attracted to him or something. He had enough admirers of his own.

Len looked up just then, a black folder in his hands. She recognised it to be the one he used to hold his music sheets. Silently, he passed the folder over to her and she took hold of it almost reverently. She had looked through these papers and she knew how beautiful the pieces were – Len had probably put a lot of thought into these compositions, and she greatly respected the effort that had gone into these. Flipping to the right score, she let her fingers trace over the thin, worn plastic of the holder and scanned through the melody, frowning slightly as she hummed the tune to herself.

Len was nervous. His heart was racing in his chest – maybe, just _maybe_ , he finally had an answer to this mysterious melody. Miku pored over the song with a look of intense concentration on her face, and although he still wasn't fully comfortable with just letting her see the piece, at least he might finally be getting somewhere. He had composed the exact same tune in many different keys and arrangements but somehow, he could never get the correct combination. If it was familiar to her, then surely two heads were better than one. His memory was fragmented and extremely unreliable.

"Yeah…I've definitely heard something like this before. When I was little," she murmured, looking up at him. The black folder lay open on her lap and he was tempted to lunge over and take it back, but he restrained himself. "I think…I think it was a major key. It definitely wasn't a minor, not like what you have here, but the arrangement was similar. The timing is little off too though. The song I heard was more upbeat…faster, yes. You have a pretty depressing version of what I remember," she smiled wryly. That wasn't surprising. This arrangement was set during a pretty aimless period of his life.

"Could you make the necessary edits? So I know what you heard when you were younger?" it might not be the exact same thing as what _he_ heard since they were two different people, but at least with Miku's help he might actually get somewhere. Miku looked a little surprised, but she nodded, much to his relief. "Oh, and actually we ought to get started on the final project for class. I know that it's still a long way to go, but I really want it _perfect_ ," he stressed the last word. "My compositions have gotten the first prize for three years straight and I don't want that to change this year. I'm sure with your help this year," he met her gaze, "our win is practically a guarantee. Don't you think so, Miku?"

She looked hesitant. "All right, sure…" she closed the folder and returned it to him. "Anyway, I can _try_ to make the changes you asked for. I don't know if I can, my memory isn't the best either but if you want me to, I'll try my best to help. Could you send me a soft copy of the score? I'll print it out and do the necessary rearrangement at home," Len took the folder back, sighing quietly when the comforting, familiar weight fell back into his hands. He held it close to him – this was his only link to his past, and he cradled it like it was an infant. In effect, it was. This folder was his childhood.

"You're really attached to your music, aren't you?" Miku asked, her keen eyes noticing Len's sigh of relief and how he frantically clutched at the folder, holding it to his chest. He swallowed, averting his gaze while she stared outright at him – he didn't know how to explain himself, and he couldn't really be bothered to find an excuse for his behaviour either. So he just nodded slowly and she left it at that, much to his relief. Len, to be honest, didn't really talk much to girls. Sure, he was great at casual conversation and at whispering sweet nothings, but when it came to deeper, more serious topics he was at a complete loss. He didn't want to get close to any girls because of his feelings and the knowledge that he would never be able to devote a fair amount of attention to any relationship.

"Isn't your break almost over?" he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was almost one, and he remembered her saying that her break was until then. Miku glanced at the clock as well and let out a gasp of surprise, leaping up from her chair and grabbing her bag. Giving him her number and her email address, she quickly bade him farewell and ducked out of the room, hurrying off towards her next class. Len let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and set the folder down on the beanbag next to his, swapping the folder for the book he had been reading before Miku came in. He was reading his childhood journal, which he had found just a week back and had always been intending to read, though it just kept slipping his mind.

He had found it up in the attic while he was messing around up there one day. Last week, Rin was having a sleepover at Luka's house so he had the house pretty much to himself, since his mother had a facial appointment in town and his father had to play golf with a client of his. Miraculously, he didn't have anyone to sleep with that day either, and both Kaito and Piko were busy with their own affairs so Len had decided to rootle around in the attic and see if he could discover some ancestral fortune or something like that. Up in the attic, which was extremely dusty and covered with white sheets or plastic layers, he found a box that was stuffed to the brim with children's toys and some other personal items. He figured that this box probably belonged to him and Rin when they were little, so he poked through the box for a while to see if he could find anything worth keeping – then he stumbled across this small black book. It was astonishing to find that this diary was still around.

Len had wanted to read the journal the moment he dusted it off and found out that it was another fragment of his past, but the moment he opened the book he groaned and flipped it shut again. He had entirely forgotten how atrocious his handwriting was in the past. It would take a while for him to decipher what he was writing – young Len had a horrible spiky cursive and the tendency to utterly disregard grammar and punctuation, so even now after half an hour of reading Len could hardly get past the first page. It was shocking, reading what he had written years ago and revisiting that part of himself once more. Had he really been so…childish in the past? He couldn't remember that anymore.

The first page talked about how his mother had bought him a book to pen down his thoughts, since she had gotten one for Rin and Len had clamoured that it was unfair that his sister got one while he did not. It was written with the clear gloating tone of a triumphant nine-year-old, and Len did feel his lips tilting upwards while he read through his younger self's experiences. That side of him seemed so far away, like an entirely separate person now. He was hardly this carefree anymore, not when he harboured such a dirty secret. Incest was dirty, and this just made him feel filthy as well.

He was starting on the second page when Miku came in and distracted him. To be honest, he hadn't expected her to find him at all. He had been planning on visiting her again another time, maybe tomorrow or the day after, and just bringing the folder along so that she could see it then. How had she figured out that he would be hiding in the library? It was one of his favourite haunts, since no one expected the school's flirt to hide among books and old memories. But then, he wasn't exactly a normal flirt, was he? He was like a gigolo who didn't get paid. A snort escaped him at the thought – when put that way, he sounded pathetic, but at least he enjoyed what he did…most of the time.

Another thing he was surprised about was that Kagene Rei knew where he was. He didn't think the Student Council member paid him any particular attention – he and Rei were as different as night and day, and as long as he stayed out of trouble the Council never came to bother him. But Rei was apparently more attentive than he assumed. Len knew that Rei liked to do his schoolwork in the library before he headed off for basketball practice or whatever it was the Council member had to do that day, but Len never greeted him and he thought that Rei never noticed him around either. He wasn't sure how he felt about being noticed by the Student Council. Len would rather stay under the radar when he was in the library. This was his only refuge in school, and he'd like to keep it that way.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and he looked up quickly, startled by the entrance. No one ever came into the Reading Room except for the Chess Club during their club meetings. His blue eyes met golden ones, and then Rei was sliding into the room with his characteristic friendly smile on his face, a pair of white headphones looped around his neck. "Hey, Len," the boy greeted him familiarly, and Len raised an eyebrow at this turn of events. He was sure Rei was here to ask him for something. "So I heard Miku was looking for you just now. You're not…uh, well it would be a lie if I pretended that I don't know what you're famous for, so I'll just come out and say it. You're not shagging her, right?"

The boy seemed almost fidgety. He had a hand in the pocket of his black slacks and his other hand was rubbing the back of his neck; after the initial greeting his golden eyes had averted from him and now his gaze was fixed on the floor. Len didn't know whether he ought to lie or tell the truth. On one hand, he _did_ intend to one day get into Hatsune Miku's good graces – and hopefully in her bed as well – but right as of this moment, the two of them had absolutely nothing going on. And if he lied about their relationship to one of the Student Council members, he had no idea what would happen as a result. Maybe she would feel like he tarnished her reputation or something, and he couldn't afford for her to be offended by him now when he still needed her help. So he decided not to lie. "No, we're not."

Rei seemed almost relieved by his statement. "Oh. So uh, if you don't mind…what were you two talking about? It seemed pretty urgent, whatever you two were discussing…I mean, not that I was eavesdropping or anything!" Rei hastily clarified, glancing up at Len again. "Just when she was looking for you, she seemed kind of frantic? I don't know. I'm talking too much, aren't I?" he grinned again, the same grin he had on his face when he first came into the room. "I talk too much, at least according to the President. But hey, they wouldn't want me if I wasn't so chatty in the first place!"

Len wasn't entirely sure how to react. First of all, he wasn't particularly talkative, so he was pretty much the opposite of Rei. And secondly, Rei wasn't even a friend. He was a mere acquaintance, and barely even one at that. Len didn't share much with even his friends, so he didn't feel obligated at all to tell Rei what he and Miku were up to. But he also got the feeling that if he didn't tell Rei, the Student Council member would just go and ask Miku. She had promised not to tell anyone about the score, but he didn't know her enough to trust that she would keep to her promise or that she would be able to tolerate pressure from someone else, so he decided to just give Rei a watered-down version of the truth.

"We're partners for Music class. I'm sure you know that every year, our compositions get sent to the Music Festival and the top three pieces of the year get cash prizes. So Miku and I are trying to get a piece ready. It's a while away, but…I want to win. _We_ want to win," he clarified, just in case the boy thought he was overly competitive and would stress Miku out or something. Rei nodded, the smile on his face still present. Len was actually starting to wonder if Rei had a crush on Miku or something.

"Well, I'm sure you two will win. I hear your pieces always take first place at the Festival," Rei said cheerfully. Len didn't know how to hint to Rei that he wanted him out of this room as soon as possible, and settled for just smiling and nodding politely. "And Miku is pretty good at singing and composing as well! She composes her own songs too sometimes, at least if I remember correctly. Maybe she was singing for someone else," Rei frowned, shaking his head. "It's been so long since I'd last run into her that I can't really remember anymore. Oh well. Good luck then, you two!"

Len thanked Rei, and with that the dark boy left him in peace, much to Len's relief. He would lock the door to the Reading Room if he could, but the door wasn't lockable, just like most of the rooms in this school, with the exception of the music classroom. He leant back into his cushy beanbag and traced a finger over the cover of the diary again, contemplating about whether he ought to continue reading about his memories, but he finally decided against it – after Miku and then Rei came in, he had lost his motivation to continue. He would keep on reading after he met Meiko tonight. Trying to understand his younger self's scribbling was giving him a nasty headache, and he needed to be clear and alert for Meiko – there was seriously no telling what the woman might try otherwise.

He didn't have class for another half an hour, so he leant back into the beanbag and let his eyes flutter closed. His head was pounding a bit, and maybe some rest would do him good. After one last class he would be free to leave, and maybe he could get his score scanned and send it to Miku then.

* * *

 **A/N** : _Check out my Facebook page for immediate notifications when I update (I know that FF delays the email notification sometimes). I occasionally post openings for story requests there or maybe notices about when I will be on hiatus etc., so do check often!_ _Also, thanks for the reviews for the previous chapter, they are greatly appreciated._


	6. Chapter 6

"Won't you stay?" Meiko sighed, her perfectly manicured red nails scratching lightly against his cheek. Len withdrew slightly, watching her as she reclined on the bed, a white blanket half covering her voluptuous body. She was clutching the blanket to her, the sheet _just_ hiding her full breasts.

"You know I don't stay," he answered, flicking his fringe out of his eyes. "Especially not tonight, I have things to settle at home," he added, reaching out to her and trailing his fingers against her cheek. Meiko pouted and grumbled quietly, sulking like a child, and he allowed a small smile to cross his lips. "I'll spend time with you some other night," he promised, though he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep to his words. "Haven't I satisfied you enough for tonight? Don't be too greedy, I can't keep up with you forever, you know," he teased. Her brown eyes slanted away from him, a look of almost defensiveness on her face, but she reluctantly nodded. Relief flooded through his body.

Meiko could be horribly stubborn at times if she absolutely insisted on having something, but it wasn't given to her. And Len definitely wasn't in the mood to pander to a grown woman today. "I'll see you some other time then. You know my number," he kissed her quickly on the forehead, then he was standing in the middle of the room pulling his clothes back on and, a minute later, he was out of the door, standing in the heavily carpeted common hallway. It was a little past one – he had spent a lot of time with Meiko today, probably four hours or so. He had napped a little after coming over, which was one reason why he took longer – that, plus how clingy Meiko could be around him.

Since Meiko came from a pretty privileged background, she lived in a fancy apartment in the very heart of the city, where people never slept and there were still plenty of places open in the dead of night. He was more worried about getting home, since he wasn't too sure if he had any money left in his bus card and he hadn't brought cash out with him. But oh well, at the very most he'd get a taxi, despite the ridiculous midnight surcharge. The city was too far away from his house for him to walk.

He walked down the silent hallway towards the lift, leaving the luxury apartment building unnoticed by all except for the security guard sitting at the receptionist desk in the lobby. The guard shot him a look but said nothing – he was used to the comings and goings of Kagamine Len, who came to this apartment in the evening and always left late at night. Len kept his hands in the pockets of his grey hoodie and tugged the hood up over his head, preparing himself for the night air he knew would greet him the moment he stepped outside. It was the middle of autumn now, and the air was cool.

Outside, the familiar night life greeted him. He saw neon signs and billboards, advertising clubs or movies or hotels for the night. There were still a few people walking around at this hour, some alone like him, others in pairs or in groups. There were tall buildings all around him, most of them luxury condominiums like the one he just exited, and there were quite a few windows lit up in each building – maybe a party or something. There were plenty of parties throughout the year, in fact if he wanted to go to one every night he was sure he would be able to find one. But Len didn't really like to stay out too late, so he usually left the party by three so he could reach home and sleep a little.

This city was rich. There was no other way to describe it. The inner city was still quite dangerous but it was slowly getting gentrified, hipster cafes and restaurants springing up everywhere. A large part of the inner city was now populated by trend-setting youths who knew how to be at the right place at the right time, but not all of the inner city had undergone such a revitalisation and there were still pockets of criminal or drug activity going on there. You just had to know where to look, since they kept themselves in the shadows or had moved underground altogether. But he wasn't interested in that – Len had never done drugs, and he wasn't about to start. He valued his life and health.

Besides, he had another drug that was far more addictive – and _effective_ – than weed or even heroin. Bracing himself against the cool wind – it wasn't quite as cold in the heart of the city compared to his suburban neighbourhood, but it was enough to be uncomfortable – he turned right in front of Meiko's building and walked towards the nearest bus stop. There were still public buses running at this time but very few and in between, maybe one in every forty-five minutes. The last bus was at two in the morning. Usually he was lucky and caught the bus before long, but sometimes he missed it and had to wait another forty or so minutes, just watching the orange street lights reflect off glass and metal and wondering what time he would finally manage to get home.

He decided that he wouldn't wait for longer than half an hour this time – any later than that, he would just grab a taxi and go home. Hopefully Rin would still be up and she would be able to come out with cash for the taxi fare. Rin slept strange hours, perhaps even stranger than his. While Len consistently slept late, Rin sometimes went to bed at ten and other times at four in the morning. He hoped that today was one of her late nights; it had been a mistake not to bring cash out with him.

As he pondered his various possibilities, he saw the familiar creep of bright light across black tarmac and looked up to see that the bus was coming towards him. Miraculously, it was the exact bus he needed to get home, so quickly he stepped forward and hailed the bus. The bus slowed to a stop and the doors creaked open, allowing him to climb in. He tapped his bus card against the electronic reader, thankful when the reader's display indicated he still had enough money for two more trips, and proceeded down the aisle towards his favourite seat on the bus. The bus lurched forward once more as Len looked out for the third row window seat, towards the right side.

There was someone already sitting there, much to his surprise. There were rarely people still taking the bus at this hour – it happened, but not often. He didn't particularly mind taking another seat, it was just that Len was a creature of habit and it just so happened that the third row window seat on the right side was the one he usually sat on if it was empty. Then he paid careful attention to the person who had taken his seat and the surprise he had felt was replaced by shock. The girl turned to face him, and her green eyes widened in surprise as well. Hatsune Miku stared right back at him.

From what he could see, she wasn't exactly out partying. Her face was free of any makeup – though she was naturally pretty without makeup anyway – and she wasn't carrying anything besides a small purse. She was dressed too conservatively for a party as well, in a large oversized sweater and a pair of ripped skinny jeans. Her hair was tied up into two pigtails. "Hi," he said lamely, suddenly very self-conscious about what he had been doing just an hour ago, "what are you doing, out so late?"

She stared at him for a while longer before she finally replied. "I could ask the same thing of you," she folded her hands in her lap, still holding on to her pink purse. He gestured with his hands, asking if he could sit next to her, and after a very brief moment of hesitation, she nodded. Carefully, he sat next to her, maintaining a small distance between the two of them. If he wanted to seduce her, he had to start slow with someone like Miku. If he came on too strong, he knew she would just push him away, and obviously he didn't want that to happen. But at the same time, he found it difficult to just talk to her normally. It had been a while since he had _not_ flirted with a girl who wasn't Rin.

"I was visiting a friend," he lied smoothly, absolutely certain that he didn't want her to know about his nocturnal tryst. "And you?" he tilted his head, regarding her closely. She had just moved into the neighbourhood a few days ago, so she couldn't possibly have made a lot of friends yet. Who could she be visiting at this hour? Or, if she wasn't visiting anyone, then why had she come all the way to town, and so late at night as well? Len was curious because the more he knew about Miku, the easier it would be for him to get under her skin and into her thoughts. She looked at him blankly for a while, maybe trying to decide if she ought to tell him or if she should just not answer the question.

"I was visiting my cousin, Hatsune Mikuo," she finally responded, her green gaze drifting away from him as she focused elsewhere. "He needed some urgent help with a drunk female friend so…he called me since I was the least likely to ask any awkward questions," when she looked back at him, her gaze seemed a little harder than before. "Anyway, you were visiting a friend so late, Len? It's a school day tomorrow, you know. You should save the parties and gatherings for the weekend."

His lips quirked up into a humourless smile. "I think you care more about school than I do, Miku," he wondered at that momentary defensiveness he had seen in her eyes as she talked about her cousin. Something important must have happened, but was it important enough to warrant him pushing for more information? "Oh, I haven't scanned the score yet. I'll do it when I get home, so remember to check your inbox later or…tomorrow morning or something. Whenever you're free," he shrugged. Miku nodded, turning around to look out of the window, so for the time being he remained silent.

Miku's heart was thudding in her chest. She was pretty sure Len had not gone to just _visit_ a friend. He didn't have his reputation for nothing. What he did should disgust her, it really should, but she held a morbid kind of fascination with the lifestyle he led. How could he be so...cruelly oblivious to what he was doing, to the effect he had on all these women he slept with? He returned to them over and over again, forever at their beck and call, yet never sharing any of his feelings with them. He never stayed with them for any longer than a few hours, and when he left he broke their hearts. Len was handsome, too handsome for his own good, and when he willingly went back to women the women thought he must love them, but was simply unwilling to say so out loud. He was wicked in the gentlest, most subtle way, and the worst thing was how he didn't seem to notice it at all.

She really had gone to visit her cousin, since Mikuo had called her at midnight and told her that Kasane Teto was drunk and causing a huge fuss inside his apartment. Teto was Mikuo's very good friend so he was concerned about her, but he had no idea how to calm her down or how to change her out of her alcohol stained clothing. Teto was definitely not a happy drunk, and when Miku finally arrived at Mikuo's house the first thing she saw was the redhead rocking back and forth on Mikuo's floor, sobbing loudly. Mikuo then quietly told her that Teto still had yet to get over Kagamine Len.

Len had broken things off with Teto because she was getting too attached. Well, not really _things_ since they were never in a romantic relationship in the first place – Len had established that prior to sleeping with Teto – but that hadn't stopped the redhead from hoping that Len, perhaps, might care for her. After all, he whispered sweet things to her and held her when she was stressed, and he always miraculously had time for her and he could make her feel heavenly. But apparently Len did the same thing for every other girl he slept with and actually maintained contact with. Teto had never been anything special. But although he established that he was not looking for romance, it was still painful for the poor girl. Teto had been acting up like this for two weeks, and Mikuo was completely helpless.

It was Miku who had convinced Teto to get off the floor and change out of her stained clothes. Miku had brought along a set of her own clothes, along with disposable panties, and half-forced Teto to change into the fresh clothes instead. Teto was slurring throughout about how she hated Len and would get revenge on him, but then she would suddenly burst into tears again and moan about how much she missed him. It was painful and frightening, watching the whole thing unfold, and now as she looked at Len's reflection in the bus window, she wondered how he could just sit there so calmly and behave like he was completely innocent. Ah, but he didn't know what Teto was going through…

Apparently Teto had been sending Len messages and calling him, asking him to come back, but he probably blocked her number or something because he never picked up and he never replied. It was cold and a cruel thing to do. When she was done with Teto, having put her to sleep in Mikuo's guest room with a warm towel on her forehead, Mikuo asked her whether she had run into Kagamine Len yet. When she said yes, his green eyes darkened and he warned her against getting close to the boy. He didn't want her to end up like his friend, and looking at the room where Teto was finally resting, Miku could understand why. She guessed that even after she recovered from the heartbreak and stopped drowning her sorrows in alcohol, she would no longer be able to feel any respect for herself.

Hatsune Mikuo, her cousin, looked just like her. She could swear they were twins separated at birth – they had the same teal hair, the exact same features and a similar slender build. Of course, Mikuo was more masculine with his squarer jaw and his more slanted eyes, and of course he was taller and had more obvious lean muscle, but people always thought they were twins when they went out together. Mikuo lived alone in an apartment in the inner city, near a bunch of cafes and skateboard parks. It was in the newly renovated area of the inner city so it was clean and vibrant, the whole area thrumming with energy, but still. Miku had felt vaguely uncomfortable about being in the inner city and her cousin understood why, so he walked her down to the bus stop and waited with her until her bus came. He thanked her for rushing down and again, he warned her to avoid Kagamine Len.

Miku now turned to look at Len, since his reflection in the window seemed to have its eyes closed. She looked at him now as he lay back in his seat, his hands held together on his lap, and wondered why someone as beautiful as Len would do something so terribly ugly to a girl. Len could have any girl he wanted and he pretty much knew that, so why was he toying with so many? Why couldn't he just find someone good, someone who could spend time with him and love him for who he was, and just stop playing his sick little games? Was sex really that fun? Did he really get a kick out of sleeping with so many people? Miku wouldn't know; she was still a virgin, but that wasn't something she was ashamed of. She thought that staying a virgin was more of a virtue than sleeping with every person she saw.

His eyes flicked open then and she started, hastily averting her gaze again. After seeing poor Teto, she didn't think she could tolerate him staring at her. She could still see his reflection in the bus window and noticed that he looked a little confused. Well, that was good. He deserved to be confused after what he did to so many innocent girls. "Are you okay, Miku?" Len asked. His voice was smooth, a velvety tenor. She could listen to his voice forever, but she reminded herself that this was Len and he was the last person on this planet she ought to get close to. "You don't seem to be quite yourself tonight…" his voice trailed off. She thought over what to say in response. Should she even answer him?

"You barely know me. You don't know I'm like, so don't assume that I'm not being myself," she finally retorted, feeling slightly pleased at how snappish she sounded. Len withdrew, clearly still confused, and she thought that he seemed a little hurt too. That made her feel just a little guilty, but she reminded herself once again that he deserved to be hurt. She wasn't the one going around breaking hearts and leaving gaping wounds. He was far crueller to girls than she could ever be to him. Besides, she didn't want to get close to him. They weren't exactly on friendship terms here.

"You don't need to sound so angry," he said softly. She faltered. She had been expecting silence or an equally snappish retort, not something so quiet and…honest. He sounded as clear and open as day, and his words rang with genuine hurt. "I was just asking because I was concerned about you. You're an acquaintance of mine, after all. It's only normal to ask you if you're all right when you seem unwell, isn't it?" she deigned to glance back at him, searching his expression for his true emotions. Was he lying or pretending to be concerned, with his silver tongue and those seductive glances which so easily got women into bed with him? But no, he just looked sad, his face incredibly easy to read.

She trusted her gut on this one – it didn't seem like he was intending to flirt with her, so she chose to reply honestly. "I was just thinking about a few things. I was wondering about you," she placed her fingers together to form a steeple, resting her hands on her lap. "I was wondering how is it you can talk so casually to people as though you haven't just broken a girl's heart just a few hours ago. I was wondering how you could live with the knowledge that you _hurt_ people emotionally, that some girls cry out for you and you pretend that you never knew them. How could you possibly be so callous?"

Len went very still. Just a few seconds ago he was looking in equal parts hurt and worried – now, his face was carefully blank and he retreated noticeably from her, leaning towards the aisle instead. He looked away from her for a moment, maybe gathering his thoughts, and she went over what she just said again in her head. Did she sound too harsh? But that was reality, and reality was harsh. If Len did not like what she was saying about him, then he shouldn't have done all these things to begin with. Still, it would be a lie to say that she felt nothing about his reaction. She did feel a little bad, but she forced herself to remember Teto and hardened her resolve. She couldn't be kind to Len.

"I honestly don't appreciate that from someone who doesn't know anything personally about me," he finally said, his voice very quiet. "You can judge me if you've spoken to me, if I've told you why I do what I do or if I explained my rationale behind everything – but all you hear and see are warnings and absurdly exaggerated stories about my exploits. You seem to think I get a kick out of breaking hearts. Let me assure you that I do not," his blue eyes flicked up to meet her gaze, and his eyes were as carefully neutral as the rest of his face. She could feel that he had shut her out completely, and that actually made her feel slightly uncomfortable. It was the first time she had felt hostility from him – it wasn't obvious, but the subtle tension was enough to make the hairs on the back of her neck rise. "I tell every girl who sleeps with me that I'm only looking for a good time. I'm only looking for a drug, a _spice_ if you will, to help make my life more exciting…even if it's for only a moment. I'm looking for something that will help me forget how shitty my life is. If they misinterpret that, if they fall in love with me…" he shrugged, looking almost cold, "it's not my problem anymore. Is it, Miku?"

She couldn't come up with a response immediately. Len's words were harsh, but at the same time they held the ring of absolute conviction. He had said it so calmly, like it was the most rational thing in the world. And obviously, Miku couldn't agree with his logic. None of that sounded rational. There were other ways to forget things – he thought that by sleeping around, he would just have a good time and forget about the downs in his life? To begin with, what could be so bad about Len's life now that he had to drown his sorrows in sex? And by doing this, wasn't he just…spreading his misery? Sure, he forgot things for a moment, but when he broke up with those girls didn't he think that they would feel as depressed as he did? What Len was doing could only be called _selfish_.

"What's so good about sex?" she cried out, throwing her hands up in frustration. "You can do other things if you want to lose yourself. You can write or sing, you can come up with more compositions. You have wonderful talent with music, use that! You don't have to just keep looking for physical gratification. There's so much risk…pregnancy, STDs, heartbreak and pain. If you don't want to think about how stupid your actions are, then at least think about the people you affect! My cousin's friend got dangerously drunk because of you! It's been two weeks and she's still binging on comfort food and drinking alcohol, and she cries your name out in her sleep! Don't you _understand_?"

She gasped, covering her hand with her mouth. She hadn't meant to mention Teto, but she was just so angry that the words had spewed out of her, an ugly gush of bitterness. Len now looked shocked, as though he thought he had misheard her and was trying to figure out if she had really said what he thought he heard her say. "Forget that last part," she told him brusquely. "But I really hope that you will change your ways, Len. You could do so much better. I've seen your music pieces, and they're so beautiful…if you could spend your time on that instead of sleeping around, imagine what you could create," she shook her head. Glancing out of the window, she saw that her stop was coming soon, and she rose from her seat, prepared to ring the bell. But before she could, Len caught her arm.

She glanced down at him, surprised at the feeling of his fingers latching on to her elbow. His grip was firm. "It's not so easy to compose music when you feel like shit all the time, Miku. I have my reasons and I appreciate your concerns, but if you want the real reason why I sleep around so much…I don't even tell my friends. What makes you think I'd tell you?" his blue eyes were hooded. "And as for the girl you were talking about, the one whose heart I broke…" he hesitated, swallowing. "Who is it?" he finally asked. Miku gritted her teeth and shook her arm free of his grip, squeezing her way past him.

"That's none of your business," she said coldly. "You've hurt her enough, why do you want to know more? So that you can break her heart all over again? You broke it off with her two weeks ago, Len. Figure out who it was yourself," with that, she rang the bell and dashed down to the exit, climbing down the stairs and stepping out into the dark, secluded bus stop. She let out a sigh only when the bus doors swung shut and the bus continued on its way, taking the blond haired boy away from her. She placed a hand over her chest, and she could feel her heart pounding away beneath her skin. She was still afraid, still breathless from scolding Len, but she had gotten her point across and she had made a grand exit as well. She didn't really hate Len – she couldn't hate someone when she knew what he was like in the past, when she knew he was once different – but she certainly disapproved of what he was doing, and hoped that he would finally consider changing his ways after she told him off.

Len had so much potential. He would be so perfect if only he didn't sleep around all the time. He was smart, his looks were flawless, he was lean and strong – as evidenced by when he had gripped her arm, she could still feel the imprints of his fingers on her skin – and he was a wonderful composer. If Len had not been such an asshole when it came to girls and relationships, Miku knew she would definitely have fallen for him. As it was, she simply felt confused about Len. He was her partner for Music so they had no choice but to work with each other, but how could she handle dealing with someone whose lifestyle went against everything she believed in? She had always been a romantic of sorts, believing in true love and first kisses. Len's blatantly deviant experiences were the perfect contradiction against her ideals. She didn't really want to have pre-marital sex, while Len…well.

She turned and walked down the street towards her house. The bus stop was halfway down the street so she only had to walk a little before she was at her doorstep, taking her keys out from her purse. Letting herself into the house, she closed the door and sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. It was getting late and she still had school tomorrow. She knew she had done the right thing by helping Mikuo out with Teto, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be tired when she woke up later. Hopefully, she would be able to fall asleep quickly. After today it would be the weekend, and she could catch up on sleep over those two days. Until then, she just had to push through the final school day of the week.

Len turned Miku's words over and over in his head. It was making him feel crappy, actually. Her words were pricking at some conscience he had thought long buried. Sure, at first it had felt really weird – and not to mention _wrong_ – to sleep around with girls, but nowadays it was so normal to him that he didn't think twice about it. What Miku said was making him question himself once more.

Whose heart had he broken? The knowledge made him uncomfortable. Of course, he was used to girls crying about him breaking it off but he always convinced himself that this was a necessary evil. He couldn't possibly stay with someone who was too attached to him. Breaking someone's heart now was better than doing so in the future – better sooner than later, after all. But Miku made the issue sound realistic…way too realistic for his liking. He had managed to convince himself that it would be quick and painless, the girl would suffer for a few days but then remember their agreement that it was never meant to be emotional and move on after that. It was supposed to be clean, fast and simple. It most definitely wasn't meant to last two weeks. For God's sake, he wasn't even this girl's boyfriend! Why was she being so depressed over the whole thing? Did she think he loved her?

Some part of him was aware that his defensive thoughts were just barriers against what he truly knew, but he shoved that newfound conscience back where it came from and ignored the twinges of guilt. No, it shouldn't matter to him what the girl was feeling. They had an agreement – he always had an agreement – and she failed to live up to her end of the bargain. It wasn't his fault that the agreement was rendered void, then. He had so many women to handle, plus he had schoolwork to do and other commitments as well. He couldn't just devote time to women who were too clingy. Meiko, he could tolerate. She was only clingy in the sense that she wanted him all to herself, but he was also aware that she regarded him as too young for her and was only using him as a personal sex toy. He could deal with possessiveness without commitment, but not with the chains of blossoming love.

He let himself into the house, carefully sneaking in so that no one in the house would be roused by his grand entrance. His parents, as usual, were home late so they didn't even know he wasn't in his room. Carefully locking the front door, he snuck up the stairs, taking care once more to avoid the creaky stair – it was second nature to him by now, to step over the fourth step from the bottom – and slipped to his room, keeping his footsteps light and quiet. Rin appeared to be asleep already, since there was no light shining out from the gap between her door and the floor, so he just went into his room and took off the hoodie, glad to once more be in the safe haven that was his room.

In the midst of taking his hoodie off however, he pursed his lips and paused. What he told Miku was the truth, which was a little surprising even for himself. He hadn't lied to her, like how he usually lied when he was asked about his intentions and plans. Sure, he hadn't revealed the main reason why he slept around – to distract him from the pain of being in love with his sister – but everything else he said was the truth. He had known she would judge him, but he went ahead anyway. Some part of him suspected that Miku already knew the answer. So why was she making him tell her all this, then?

This girl would be the death of him. Groaning, he tossed the hoodie onto his chair and flopped down on his bed, still thinking about Miku. She was always around wherever he was, with her flashing green eyes and her sharp questions, the criticism and disbelief hidden carefully in her gaze. He could feel her judging him, and he had no complaint against that – he knew he deserved to be judged for what he was doing – but that didn't mean he would stop in his ways. He would continue because this was a drug, and he didn't know what else he could do to make the bad memories go away.

He decided he would scan the score and send it over after school instead. He was too tired, and for the moment he honestly didn't want to interact any further with Hatsune Miku. He didn't want to risk being scolded for his poor lifestyle choices. Still…despite her words, despite her green eyes narrowing at him in anger as she tried to push her point, he still found her pretty. He hated the words which had come out of her mouth for they felt almost mocking, but she was no less beautiful for the things she said. In fact, Miku was even more beautiful when she was angry, her voice getting louder and her eyes widening with conviction and passion. He would have been enthralled if she hadn't been yelling at him. It was weird to think that someone angry could be pretty too, but Miku was. There was something _endearing_ about her, no matter the circumstances. It actually made him wonder if he had finally lost his mind, which was why he was thinking about an angry girl this way instead of reflecting on his choices, but he couldn't help but focus on that part of it all instead.

And another thought…who, exactly, was the girl he had left heartbroken? He really had no idea. It could be anyone – two weeks ago, he had dropped three girls from the contacts he maintained, and any one of them could be the girl Miku was talking about. He shut his eyes, groaning again – what Miku said was making him feel like a jerk, since he honestly had no idea who this girl was – but he forced himself to stop wallowing in self-blame and reminded himself that, no matter what, he kept to his rules. If a girl broke the rules, he stopped going to her, as simple as that. This mysterious girl's heartbreak was not his fault or his problem, and he shouldn't have to feel bad about it at all.

But that didn't stop his conscience from telling him that he was being a terrible person, and for most of the night, Len tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. His vivid dreams were haunted by a pair of green eyes, filled with fury and dislike. For some reason, they looked a lot like Miku's eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

"So, how did your meeting go yesterday? I finished up the rest of your lunch when it looked like you weren't going to come back. Whatever you made, it was really good," Miku turned towards the voice and almost toppled out of her chair when she saw bright blond hair and inquisitive blue eyes.

Then she realised that it was just Rin and exhaled in relief. Rin looked so much like Len that she had to look twice to be certain it was the blonde and not her brother. "It went fine, I managed to find the person but it took so long that I couldn't come back to the cafeteria," she answered, leaning down towards her backpack and taking out her notebook and pencil case. Rin flopped into the chair next to hers, leaning back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. Their next class was History.

Although Miku had only taken one History class with Rin before this, she was already aware of the blonde's feelings towards this particular subject. Rin thought that History was stupid, and all it did was remind her of just how ridiculous people could be. Miku thought that it showed the power of persuasion as well – entire empires from the past had fallen because the rulers had been swayed and convinced to do stupid things. People who could seduce and lie, people who could use their words to get others to do whatever they wanted, were dangerous. So Len was dangerous too.

"That's nice. Well, I hope our teacher forgets to collect our homework today," Rin shrugged, her fingers tapping against her arm. "I didn't do it and I don't _want_ to do it, since it doesn't count towards our grade. I'm going to make Len do it if she insists on collecting my work, though. He's way better at all this memorisation crap than I am," she sniffed. "I mean, writing an essay about the effects of the Second World War and evaluating source material is pretty fun, but having to search up the dates and the hard facts…that's not my thing," Rin continued, but Miku was distracted the very moment she brought up her brother's name. She couldn't stop thinking about last night.

Rin appeared to notice that Miku wasn't paying attention when she simply kept nodding at whatever the blonde was saying, a vacant look on her face. "Hey Miku, are you all right? You look tired," she leant over in her seat and peered closely at her face. Miku shook herself, blinking rapidly as she pushed her long fringe out of her eyes. Her hair was whipped up into a simple ponytail today since she was too tired to try more elaborate hairstyles, and if someone paid attention to what she was wearing they might notice the mismatched socks, but they were all very small differences and Miku was a little surprised that Rin could actually tell she was unlike herself today. "What happened?" Rin added when Miku didn't say anything. Miku opened her mouth, and found herself starting to yawn.

"Nothing…I just had to visit my cousin last night. Kind of an urgent, uh…family matter, so I got back home kind of late and it's getting to me. Plus I still haven't gotten over my jetlag yet. Not entirely," she admitted. Rin didn't press for anything else, instead leaning back against her chair once more and giving her curious looks. Her friend drummed her fingers against the table and after a while it looked like the blonde actually wanted to say something to her, but before she could open her mouth their teacher swooped into the classroom and Rin retreated. Miku felt a little relieved.

It wasn't that she couldn't handle Rin's questions or chatter, but at the moment she was just so tired. She didn't stay up late a lot, not unless there were lots of projects due soon or it was the week before a major exam. Their teacher went straight into the lesson without bothering to greet them – or vice-versa – and she used the chance to hide behind her book and doze a little, thankful that she wasn't sitting right at the front. She had learnt all this at her old school anyway, the consequences which came with Japan colonising the Asian countries during the Second World War, so she would conserve her energy and pay attention to her other lessons later. Unknown to Miku, Rin kept glancing at her throughout the lesson, biting her lip with a look of concern etched onto her face.

* * *

"I think my brother's lost it," Rin suddenly confided to the three of them at break. Luka, Mizki and Miku stared back at the blonde with looks ranging from surprise to apathy. Rin sighed irritably and went on. "He's my twin, so I am mildly concerned about him even though I do think he's a complete douchebag at times. Anyway, he wouldn't come down for breakfast today and when I left the house, he was still in his room. If he skips any more classes, it's probably going to affect his participation grade. And okay, actually I think even if Len fails his participation portion he'll _probably_ still get an A for everything, but it's not going to reflect well when he has to get his letters of recommendation for university application," Rin rolled her eyes. The other three just stared at the blonde for a while.

Mizki was the first one to break the silence. "And why are you telling us this?" the girl drawled, munching on an apple as she did so. Miku could hear the crunch of the fruit as Mizki bit into it, her green eyes narrowed at Rin. It didn't surprise her that Mizki seemed so apathetic towards the situation – it didn't seem like Mizki was too fond of the boy. The girls in school appeared to be split into two sides, one side which adored Len and the other side which detested him. And then there was Miku, who was stuck in between, still uncertain about which side she ought to go for. She neither liked nor hated Len; he wasn't all bad, but he wasn't the most fantastic person in the world either.

"I shouldn't have bothered with you," Rin grumbled at Mizki. "Anyway, I just wanted to ask Miku if she knew what was wrong with my brother," the blonde turned towards Miku. Miku choked on her fruit juice and Luka, who was sitting next to her, hastily thumped her on the back as she coughed and spluttered, tears squeezing past her eyelids. Rin and Mizki just regarded her calmly until she recovered from her coughing fit, and when she was done Miku looked at Rin, tears still running down her cheeks and a look on her face that must have plainly asked why her. "Well, actually Len told me that he ran into you last night and the experience wasn't…all that fantastic. I'm not mad or anything, serious! In fact, I'm really impressed by anyone who can piss my brother off, but what did you say to him, Miku?" Rin picked up the orange on her tray, peeling the fruit. "It's been a long time since I last saw him that moody," she added, "he usually deals pretty well with stress and stuff."

Miku was honestly startled. Was all this really the result of what she had said to Len last night? She didn't think her words would affect him so badly that he couldn't come to school. Surely Len was able to tolerate a few harsh words, she couldn't possibly have been the only one who ever said that what he was doing was wrong…she glanced at Mizki, who was still munching away uninterestedly on her apple, and decided that she _definitely_ couldn't have been the only one. Rin was waiting for an answer, having almost finished peeling her orange. Miku fidgeted, unsure if she should say the truth. She couldn't tolerate Len's behaviour and she was sure Rin couldn't either, but Rin was still his twin.

"I told him off because…my cousin has a friend who got her heart broken by him and I didn't know how he could continue doing what he does, you know," she finally admitted, staring down at her lunchbox. She had prepared her lunch for the day after eating breakfast, since she didn't normally take well to cafeteria food and preferred eating her own cooking. "I mean, maybe he really didn't know what he's putting girls through and maybe I came across as a little harsh, but seriously!" Miku suddenly exclaimed, making Luka jump. "He's already eighteen years old, he can't keep…messing around with girls like that! Doesn't he know girls have feelings? If someone messed around with you or something I'm sure he'd be upset too, so why doesn't he just stop what he's doing?" she stressed.

The three girls gaped at her in silence for a while as Miku exhaled, trying to calm herself down. She was being too agitated about this issue, and she didn't want the others to wonder why she was so concerned about Len and his affairs although she barely knew him. The others didn't know that she recognised him from her childhood, and she was determined to keep things that way. The smaller the number of people who knew about her past, the better. Her childhood here was not something she herself was comfortable revisiting yet, and letting other people know about her past friends was something she felt strongly against. She reminded herself to pretend not to care at all in the future.

"Do you actually know Len?" Mizki was again the first one to speak as she placed her half-eaten apple onto her tray. "You sound like you know the kind of things he gets up to. The three of us…we tried not to talk about it in front of you," she exchanged a look with Rin, "since we didn't want you to know about Len so soon…how did you find out?" she asked, bright green eyes filled with curiosity.

Miku tried her best to look nonchalant. "My cousin told me," she spoke the truth – Mizki was just asking how she knew what Len was doing, not how she recognised the boy. "You know I used to live here, right? So my cousin and I were chatting about our past friends and then he told me someone I knew got her heart broken by Kagamine Len. Then he warned me to avoid Len and told me about Len's notoriety, and…well, that's how I found out," she shrugged, hoping that they wouldn't ask her anything else. Much to her relief, Mizki nodded and went back to eating her apple, returning to her apathetic self. Rin, however, was still frowning at her, looking like she was thinking about something.

"Len isn't that bad," Luka tried to soothe things over in her usual placid manner. "He does have his merits, though he can be a bit of a jerk…I have spoken to him before. Once he realised that I wasn't interested in him, he became…how do I put it?" Luka laughed. "Quite philosophical, actually. He might be a ladies man, but he's quite intelligent as well. I'd love to have him in the Student Council, but he's always busy running around doing God knows what," the beautiful pink haired girl shrugged gracefully, picking once more at her tuna salad. Miku turned towards Luka, blinking in surprise.

"Luka, are _you_ the Student Council President?" she asked – somehow, it just didn't seem possible that Luka could be the President. She didn't seem authoritarian at all. Luka was like fresh sunshine and flowers and sweetness. Every school she had been to, the President of the Student Council, Union or Committee – whatever the student body called it – was always perfectionist, bossy and fond of picking at tiny details. Luka, with her measured words and her aura of calm, just didn't fit the stereotype Miku had in mind. Luka smiled at her and nodded, and Miku gaped, feeling somewhat shocked. Now that she looked closely at Luka's collar, she could see the badge of the Student Council pinned to the white fabric, and suddenly she felt a little dumb for not having noticed this earlier.

Rin snorted. "Megurine Luka has been the President for two years running. Someone needs to kick her off her spot on the Student Council. I swear, I am _not_ voting for you during the next election," Rin waved her fork threateningly at Luka. Luka just smiled placidly again, scooping another forkful of tuna into her mouth. Miku wrinkled her nose as the smell of canned fish wafted over to her.

"That would hurt my feelings, but we're graduating at the end of this year," Luka pointed out. "I won't even be in the school anymore for the next election, and neither will you," she dabbed at her mouth with a piece of tissue. Rin just sighed and rolled her eyes, putting her fork back down on her tray. Miku thought this meant that she was safe from further questioning, but then Rin glanced up from her food and met her gaze and Miku felt a shiver run down her spine – Rin looked so much like her twin brother that when she looked at her _this_ way, she felt like Len was the one staring at her instead. Rin looked like she wasn't done with her questioning, and Miku cringed at the thought.

"President, we have a situation!" they heard a voice yell out behind them, and suddenly Kagene Rei skidded over to their table, his black hair in complete disarray and carrying a clipboard in his arms. "Piko says that there aren't enough fairy lights for the play next week so he was asking if we can just use bare lightbulbs instead –" suddenly, he caught sight of Miku and faltered, gaping at her. "Hey, it's you again!" Rei exclaimed, grinning at her playfully. "I didn't know you dared to sit with _President Megurine Luka_. She's the strictest President we've ever had the misfortune to have, you know."

"Are you quite done, Rei?" Luka sighed, sounding irritated for the first time ever since Miku met her. She was kneading her forehead with her fingertips. "I swear, I don't know why every year I keep you in the Council," Luka grumbled to herself. "It's like dealing with a hyperactive child who overdosed on sugar," she added pointedly, ignoring Rei's sheepish smile. The boy ruffled his hair with his free hand, the other one still holding on to the clipboard – Miku could see what was clipped onto the board, and it looked like various seating charts and a few lists. "Are we completely out of lights?"

"Uh, well I know Shion Kaito has some fairy lights leftover from his Christmas-themed party. That's according to Piko at least. But I asked Kaito about them just now and he said he loaned them to Len, who apparently needed them for some fancy music performance or something. And I can't find Len," Rei shrugged. "Neither is he picking up his phone. I guess we can ask Gumo? The school technician said the fairy lights we have are the wrong colour too, so we might have even fewer than we first thought. We wanted the pink and white ones, but we mostly have…red and green. From Christmas."

Luka muttered something inaudible. "Wasn't Piko in charge of the play? Why is he only telling us this _now_ when we have just one week left to the performance?" she sounded a little annoyed, but since it was Luka her voice was still smooth and her face seemed completely calm. Still, Miku guessed that she was boiling inside. She had assumed that the pink haired girl was peaceful and fair, but given what she was observing now, it seemed more likely that Luka was one of those terrifying people who bottled up all their emotions and exploded when everything became too overwhelming.

She made a mental note to stay on Luka's good side. Rei shrugged again, this time looking sheepish. "He didn't tell me. But at least he let us know a week ahead, rather than three days before like last time!" he chirped. Luka actually rolled her eyes at this and got up from the table. Miku cringed back a little as the pink haired President strode off, probably searching for the aforementioned Piko. "I guess I should follow her and stop her from terrorising Piko, he'll get nightmares for a month," Rei looked heavenwards for a few seconds, before his gaze dropped to her and he shot her a warm smile. "See you around some time, Miku! Maybe we'll share a class or something," he winked. She felt her heart skip a beat, and then Rei turned and hurried away after the angry Council President.

"Uh, hold on. Miku, since when did you know Kagene Rei?" Mizki dropped her apple in excitement, slamming her hands down on the table. Miku blinked at her innocently, wondering what had gotten the girl so worked up. Mizki looked like she was having trouble breathing. Rin simply rolled her eyes.

"Ignore her, Miku. It's her shipper mind working again. She sees you have the potential to be Rei's future love interest," Rin said dryly. Mizki shot her a look of annoyance as Rin sighed in the most exaggerated way – it seemed like this wasn't the first time this shipping thing had happened. Should she be concerned? She vaguely understood what shipping meant and she definitely didn't want to be paired up with Rei. They were _sort of_ friends, that's all! There was nothing going on between them both, and Miku didn't want anything to happen. She just wanted to complete her academic life and graduate without any distractions whatsoever. Dating and falling in love could always wait.

"Miku knows like, the only guy in school besides your good-for-nothing twin brother who can make girls swoon when he smiles at them. And Rei actually seems like he kind of has a thing for her! Like he completely ignored the both of us today?" Mizki gestured at herself and Rin aggressively, much to Miku's bemusement. "Do not tell me you can't see them together. I think they'd be so cute. Mr Vice President with the new kid – wouldn't it be so _romantic_?" Mizki sighed, clasping her hands together.

"He's the _Vice President_?" Miku spluttered, stunned by this sudden piece of information. Mizki and Rin barely even acknowledged her, but she saw the blonde nod quickly at her question. Miku couldn't believe it. She thought that Rei had just been a regular member of the Student Council. He was just so casual and friendly, and she figured that his basketball training might be enough of a commitment for him. How was he balancing the two? Len had _not_ told her that Rei was the Vice President. She didn't know how she felt about knowing this now. Rei seemed so perfect and she was willing to bet her life's savings that he was one of the most popular students in school. And meanwhile here she was, a stranger to her hometown and hardly with more than five friends at any given time.

"Mizki, you're jumping way too quickly into things," Rin was now saying, her bright blue eyes looking towards the ceiling in exasperation. "You tried to pair up Nakajima Gumo with Akita Neru like, last month. And that was so damn stupid, they hate each other. What makes you think that Miku is even interested in Rei? I'll bet you anything she just wants to complete her year here and graduate."

Miku nodded quickly in affirmation when Mizki turned to glare at her, seeking her answer. Mizki made a soft growling noise, sounding remarkably like an angry cat. "Neru and Gumo just have unresolved sexual tension, and you all are _blind_ not to see it," she declared in a huff. "And how can anyone not be interested in Rei? I saw Miku being all stumped when Rei winked at her! Come on, Rei _winked_ at Miku! He has to be interested to some degree. Plus, have I mentioned that it's Rei?" she went on aggressively, ignoring Rin's attempts at cutting into the conversation. "Rei was sent from Heaven so he can populate the planet with little Rei angel babies. He is one _gorgeous_ specimen of the male species. The only guy more attractive than Rei, even just a little, is your goddamn brother!"

Miku butted in then. "Mizki, I thought you don't particularly like Len," she pointed out, wondering why Mizki kept using Len as an example of masculine beauty. She was pretty sure that Mizki didn't exactly like the boy, at least from what she observed of her behaviour. Mizki grinned at that.

"Excellent observation! I hate his guts. He slept with my friend's sister and she broke up with her boyfriend because of him," Mizki bared her teeth in annoyance. "But I'm not going to let that sully my perception of his appearance. The guy doesn't dare to make a move on me since I'm Rin's friend, and hey, you can't deny that he's really good looking!" unfortunately, Miku had to agree with that.

Rin threw up her hands. "Okay, let's stop discussing Len as though he didn't share a womb with me," she deadpanned. "It's seriously gross to hear girls drooling over my little brother. Like on one hand, I feel like I ought to be somewhat flattered because, you know, we're twins and if he's hot, then I'm hot too right? But _no_ , it doesn't work that way. You won't catch people falling at my feet any time soon. Not that I need that," she paused and thought for a while, "I already have Kaito. But yeah, I've made my point clear, let's agree to stop talking about how handsome Len is. It makes me heave."

"Yeah, let's get back to _you_ ," Mizki agreed, her head whipping around so that she could pin Miku with an intense stare. Miku swallowed. "So tell me, how do you know the angel we all know as Kagene Rei?" she sighed dramatically, pretending to swoon. Miku giggled as Rin smacked Mizki on the shoulder, still wearing that same flat expression as she did when she asked them not to talk about Len's sex appeal. "You are so lucky. Rei is practically oblivious to the opposite sex, you know. I'm eighty percent certain that he has his eye on you!" Mizki declared, still looking dreamy.

"Uh…he's a childhood friend, sort of," she explained lamely. "He sat next to me in school and he always lent me stationery and stuff when I forgot to bring my things. I was a bit of a problem child," she smiled wryly. "He used to cover my butt all the time when I came late or skipped school or climbed over the gate during recess or something. Even then he was pretty much a model student, he was a prefect and on the school basketball team and everyone knew who he was. I guess he's still the same now, isn't he?" she poked at her almost empty lunchbox. This cold pasta was decent.

"So it's a childhood romance!" Mizki leant towards her, intrigued. Miku could see Rin struggling not to roll her eyes and shake some sense into the pink haired girl. She decided that Mizki was probably too far gone into her shipper fantasies. "You know, I really think you and Rei could have a thing," she said after a pause. "I mean, he's like the perfect height for you, and he's so nice and friendly while you're so socially awkward – he would balance you out wonderfully!" Mizki beamed. Miku just sort of smiled back hesitantly, wondering about what Mizki had said. Was she really socially awkward?

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and used that as an excuse to avoid Mizki's excited gaze, leaving her to dwell in the makings of her own imagination. She had received a text from…Rin, who was sitting quietly next to Mizki and looking intently at her. She swallowed as she read the short four word message, probably sent because Mizki didn't seem like she would quieten any time soon.

 _Call me after school_. Somehow, Miku already knew it was going to be about Len. Rin still looked…she would say Rin looked uneasy. Not really worried, just uneasy. She sighed and made the smallest of nods, and both of them returned their attention to Mizki, who was still gushing about how hot Rei was and how absolutely adorable he and Miku would look as a couple. Though Mizki's fantasies got a little outlandish sometimes, it helped to distract her from thinking about after school.

Miku most certainly wasn't looking forward to talking about Len with his concerned older sister, but she comforted herself by remembering that she had done far scarier things than this. At least she was going to talk to Rin and not to Len himself.

* * *

Len wasn't sure if his nasty headache was genuine or if it was all just in his head. He had failed to get any proper sleep the whole night and now he felt even crappier than he normally did. He actually had a nightmare where Miku was dropping him into a pit of molten magma and trapping him in Hell.

He was letting her get into his head. Why was he so affected by her words? She was just some new girl…a condescending, critical girl who probably didn't understand the definition of fun. But he couldn't bring himself to think of any more sour thoughts about her, since secretly he knew that she was right, everything she said about him last night was true. And Len didn't want to lie to himself.

All this time he managed to convince himself that he wasn't leaving any lasting damage. He hoped that the girl Miku was talking about, whoever she was, would feel better today after she got drunk last night. He still had absolutely no idea who it could be, and he had given up trying to remember, deciding that some things were better left forgotten. Wincing, he placed a hand against his head, feeling his temples throb against his knuckles. He hadn't gotten such a bad headache in ages, and again he wondered whether he had induced this stupid headache himself by simply overthinking.

He knew he couldn't go to school today, but at least he had a legit excuse this time. When Rin yanked open his door and yelled at him to get his lazy butt off the bed, he just hid himself under his pillow and wormed his way deeper into the blanket. When she finally accepted that he wasn't in the mood to go to school, she had asked him about the cause of his shitty behaviour and, in a fit of pique he told her about his encounter with Miku last night and how whatever transpired between them was depressing him. In hindsight, this probably wasn't such a good idea, since Rin was at heart still an older sister who cared about her younger brother and this would likely end up in some sort of confrontation. But he couldn't help but gloat over how Miku would have to face his twin now.

She deserved it…sort of. Len rolled over in bed, groaning to himself. He had taken some aspirin earlier but it wasn't helping, and the dull ache was so bad that he couldn't get himself back to sleep. Sitting up, he forced himself to get off the bed and walk out of the room, having to cling on to the door frame as he swayed where he stood, his head spinning. He still had to send that stupid music score to Miku. Despite his semi-antagonistic feelings towards the teal haired girl and the nasty pain in his head, he would still do what he promised to do. Len, contrary to popular opinion, did care about his work and commitments. In fact, he cared _too_ much about his commitments, which was one reason why he refused to commit romantically to any single person. It would suffocate him.

The scanner and family desktop computer were in the study room, which was on the same floor as his parent's bedroom. He made the torturous climb up to the next floor, remembering just in time to duck back into his room and retrieve his music folder. Stumbling over to the study room, he yanked the door open and was greeted by a blast of freezing cold air. Grumbling, he made his way to the scanner, switching the computer on while he did so. As he logged in to his account and waited for the system to boot up, he glanced through the folder once more and wondered why Miku kept talking about his exceptional talent as a composer. The pieces here _weren't_ his greatest works, actually. He had better pieces. But the ones he kept in this folder were just the ones he liked best.

She hadn't seen him at his full creative potential yet, but she already talked as if he had amazing talent and potential. He snorted, wincing when the action made his head throb, and set the folder down next to the scanner. He thought about Hatsune Miku and why she just couldn't seem to get out of his head, with that fiery determination and the self-righteous conviction he had seen in her green eyes. Why was he so affected by the opinion of a girl he barely knew? Rin's friend, Yamaha Mizki, couldn't stand him and she made that clear – yet, when she told him that he was a worthless scumbag, he was barely even affected by the venom in her words. He had been called all sorts of names in all sorts of tones, and even the bitterest insults just rolled off him. He was used to them.

But the words of a girl who had no venom in her words, who only spoke to him in a fit of anger and out of a misplaced sense of justice, made him think more about her than anyone else ever did. Was it just because she was also one of the few girls who didn't want him? And that she was the _only_ girl who outright rejected him, who showed absolutely zero interest in him from the very beginning? Even girls in school who didn't like him had wanted him, had acknowledged that he was handsome and that they used to want him too. He could tell because he had watched those girls' expressions turn slowly from interest to apathy. But Miku's eyes, from the very start, had shown nothing.

It was just so strange to not be wanted. And that, coupled with how detailed her description was of the heartbroken girl he cut off two weeks ago, was affecting him too much for his liking. Len was not a very aggressive person – he could be vicious if pushed, but generally he didn't seek a fight – but for the first time in a long while, he felt the need to get a final say in this matter. He couldn't just let Miku walk away as though nothing had happened, as though her voice hadn't wormed its way into his head and her words hadn't gouged out parts of the armour which shielded him from the world, allowing bits of his conscience to crawl back into him from some godforsaken place. He wanted to make her hurt the same way he was hurt by her accusations, but how could he do that? He wasn't sure.

Maybe he would just seduce her and sleep with her, as per his original plan. It seemed like poetic justice to do the exact thing she had accused him of with her – then even she, who thought that her words were justified and that her experiences were helping him, couldn't resist the allure of sleeping with someone who wanted nothing out of the relationship. But that was morally screwed up too – he slept around just for himself, he didn't do it out of revenge or anything else – and he sighed, knowing that even if he wanted to seduce Miku, it wasn't going to be easy. After all, he had decided he wanted to do so since the day before but despite meeting her a few times and having some decent opportunities to flirt with her, he had yet to make his move. Plus now, she didn't like him.

The computer was up and running now, a low hum filling the room. Len methodically placed the score onto the scanner and opened up the relevant programme, copying the score into a document. Quickly, he saved the document and took out his phone to find her email address so he could send it to her as soon as possible and return to his room after that. He paused when he saw he had eight unread messages and two missed calls, and curious he opened them to see what he was missing.

Three of the messages were from girls asking if he was free to spend time with them. He ignored those three, focusing instead on the other messages. There was one from Kaito and Piko each, both asking him where the hell he was and did he think he was being funny, skipping school again? He just grinned and shook his head at that, wincing slightly when his head throbbed in protest. He replied both with a "not feeling well" and went on to check the other messages. The remaining three were all from the same person, and it was a number he didn't recognise. Curious, he opened the texts and saw that they were all from Kagene Rei, who for some reason was asking him if he had fairy lights.

His two missed calls were from Rei too. He wondered how the dark boy had obtained his number, but decided not to think too much about it – Rei knew almost everyone in school, so he had quite a number of connections and this wasn't anything too surprising. He bet Rei got his number from Piko, since Piko was a member of the Student Council as well…albeit one of the more laidback ones. Len sometimes wondered why Piko was even in the Council since he never seemed to take any of his responsibilities seriously, but on the few occasions he talked to Luka and actually brought this question up, the President just shrugged and said Piko did actually do work when it was required of him.

He debated whether he ought to reply Rei – he knew the fairy lights Rei was talking about, he had them in a box placed inside the piano room – but before he could come to a decision, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his head and he groaned, slumping down onto the computer chair. He let his phone slip out of his grip onto the table. The sudden pain was probably from standing too long; he was starting to feel a little lightheaded, and he had an overwhelming urge to just close his eyes. Forcing himself to stay awake, he checked through his contact details and found Miku's email.

Desperately, he opened up a new draft and attached the document, not bothering to put any subject heading or content. He was sure she would know who he was, since his email address was just his name followed by the domain he used. It was pretty much impossible to confuse him with anyone else. After the email was sent, he tapped out a very quick text to tell her that he had sent her the document, and also asked her to inform him when she was done with editing the score. Throughout all this, he told himself that right after this message was sent he would finally be able to take a nap.

He sent out the text, hoping that both it and the email went through – he wouldn't know, because immediately after he pressed 'send', he turned away from his phone and closed his eyes. He was asleep almost the very moment his head hit the table.


	8. Chapter 8

Miku felt her phone buzz in her pocket as she shifted from foot to foot, waiting for Rin outside the library. Taking her phone out, she glanced at the message she had just received – it was an unknown sender, but judging from the contents of the message, she guessed that the sender was Len.

He was just telling her that he had sent her the email and that he was hoping for updates once she was done with her work. She decided that there was no need to respond to the message, placing her phone back in her pocket. She had called Rin after her final class just as Rin requested, and the blonde had picked up right away. Rin said she was a little held up at the moment, but she would be free very soon and asked Miku to meet her at the library. So here she was, just standing and waiting.

She looped her fingers through her bag straps, watching the people walk past her. It was the late afternoon now, and most people were free from school since there weren't many electives which took place after three, unless people had makeup classes. A few other people she had talked to during her lessons came up to her and spoke with her for a while, but they always hurried off after a few minutes and left her alone once more. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes already, and Rin was still nowhere to be seen. She wondered what the blonde could possibly be doing at this timing.

"Hey, Miku!" she heard Rin's voice calling out for her. Miku turned and saw Rin hurrying down the corridor towards her, looking slightly out of breath. The floppy white bow she was wearing on her head looked limp. "Sorry I'm late, I had a few things to discuss with my Art teacher about my final project but everything's good now," Rin came to a stop before her and tried breathe deeply, looking just a little worn out. "I'm stressed about my final piece since it's just not turning out the way I want it to," she admitted, flopping against the wall next to Miku, "but I still have a few months so I have time to make revisions if necessary. Anyway, are you free now? Do you still have lessons after this?"

Miku shook her head, and Rin shot her a smile, her expression one of relief. "That's great. Okay, I asked you to meet me today because, well…" she kicked at empty air, flicking her blonde fringe out of her vivid blue eyes. "It's because of Len," she looked up and met Miku's gaze, and Miku felt her heart sink a little. Was Rin going to question her specifically on what she said to her twin brother? Len had just texted her, so Miku didn't think he was sick or anything – if he was, then he wouldn't have the energy to send her emails and text messages, right? The way Rin said it during lunch made her think that Len was just sulking over what she pointed out to him. Well, it was his own fault…

"Is he all right?" she decided to ask, just so she wouldn't sound completely uncaring. Rin smiled wryly and nodded, now looping some of her hair behind her ear and adjusting her white bow. "Is he sulking or something? You know that all I did was tell him off about his behaviour. I didn't make up any stories about him," she tried her best not to sound too defensive. She didn't want to sound too guilty or anything, but she couldn't help but fidget when Rin continued gazing intently at her.

"He'll get better," Rin said dismissively. "I don't even know if he's really unwell or if he's just faking it, it won't be the first time he's pretended to be sick so he can skip school…" the blonde rubbed the back of her hand against her cheek, and Miku suddenly noticed how tired Rin looked. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, but then she wasn't sure if Rin always had those circles beneath her eyes or if she just never paid attention to them before. "I'm just worried he'll mess up or something, you know?" Rin continued, looking away from her and staring at the opposite wall. The blonde seemed almost grim. "We're twins but he's stopped telling me stuff, ever since he got into a pretty bad accident when we were younger. I don't really know what he's thinking half the time anymore. Believe it or not, he used to be, well, _normal_. Not as screwed up as he is right now."

"An accident?" Miku echoed, her curiosity pricked. She hadn't known anything about Len being involved in an accident. She wondered what sort of accident it was, and if it had any effect on his sudden behaviour – she did not doubt for a moment that Len used to be like any regular boy, and if Rin was saying that he suddenly became different after the accident, maybe the accident was some sort of catalyst for the change? "What happened to Len? When did it take place?"

Rin suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'd like to tell you, but I don't think I should," she scratched her head, turning around to look at her again. Her expression was still grim. "What he went through then was bad, so if you're really curious to know you should probably ask him. It's not in my place to say, but well…our mother still cries when she thinks about it," Rin exhaled through her nose. "I get that you're upset about your friend and everything. I really do, I'd be pissed too if I were you. But since I'm Len's sister and I know what happened to him, I'd really like it if you weren't too harsh on him. What he's doing isn't excusable, I've seen what he does to those girls who are stupid enough to entertain him, but until he's fully recovered from what happened back then I try to hold my tongue."

"It's that bad?" Miku didn't know if she ought to feel guilty or not. She still knew that she wasn't wrong and Rin didn't seem to be blaming her either, but now she knew slightly more about Len's current circumstances and wondered if maybe she ought not to have snapped at him last night. It was even worse knowing that when she exploded, all he had been doing was showing her some concern. But his concern scared her – was it genuine, or was it just an act so that she would fall for him and crawl into bed with him? She didn't want to be part of some stupid game. The stakes were too high, she wasn't interested in playing – and most of all, she didn't want to end up like Teto.

"It was bad enough," Rin's reply was vague. Suddenly, she brightened and smiled at her as though their entire conversation had never taken place. "Come on, you don't have anything else to do after school right?" the blonde chirped, nothing at all like the serious girl who had spoken to her about her twin brother just moments ago. "Mizki asked if we wanted to go grab some coffee after school. We can show you around town in you want, since you're new. There's a new shop which opened down from the cinema," Rin was already heading off as she spoke, and Miku hurried after her.

"I don't know Rin, I'm a little sleepy," Miku protested, stifling a yawn as she ran after the girl. Rin walked remarkably quickly – Miku actually had to jog a little to catch up. She hadn't gotten that much sleep last night and she thought that she might want to complete her Art History assignment first before she went out to do anything. Miku had zero artistic talent but she quite liked history.

"Don't be so uptight," Rin said dismissively, not even turning around to look at Miku as she strode through the hallways towards the courtyard. They were nearing the exit of the building, and Miku could see Mizki waiting on one of the benches in the courtyard outside, looking up at the blue sky. "You have the whole weekend to complete your homework and catch up on lost sleep! You're already outside your house anyway. Then we can go home together after that – we're neighbours, aren't we?" Rin burst out into the sunshine, spinning around and giving her a dazzling smile.

Miku caved. She didn't want to admit it, but at that moment Rin reminded her so much of Len that she just couldn't say no. "Fine, we'll go to town," she grumbled, deciding that she would spend the whole of tomorrow doing her work and unpacking her things. Since they had just moved in only recently the house was still largely bare. Her parents wouldn't be back so soon, not till next Sunday at the very earliest, so until then she was alone in her house. It would be nice to have company.

"That's great!" Rin walked briskly over and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her forward. Miku stumbled behind her but Rin continued marching on, entirely disregarding the other girl's protests. Mizki watched them with amusement in her eyes as the pair drew closer to her table. Her white backpack was propped up neatly next to her against the table, and the slender girl calmly sipped at a drink while Rin dragged Miku towards her. "How long have you been sitting here by yourself?" Rin asked when they reached her, finally letting go of Miku. Miku rubbed her arm, whimpering softly.

"I don't know, fifteen minutes? Rei came to talk to me just now," Mizki smiled pointedly in Miku's direction, and she resisted the urge to groan and roll her eyes. She had heard enough about Kagene Rei during their break. "He asked me how I'm doing and all, you know those typical 'I'm a nice caring Student Council member' conversation openers, and _then_ he asked me about you!" Mizki pointed dramatically at Miku. Miku instinctively cringed back. "He asked me how I thought you were coping! Obviously I said you're doing well, with me as your friend and everything," Mizki continued grandly.

"Maybe he really was just concerned about both you and Miku's welfare. He's the Vice President of the Student Council after all," Rin drolly responded. Mizki glared sullenly at the blonde for daring to challenge her theory. "It's not surprising that he's going around asking people how they're doing. Do you think he became the Vice President by not caring about his friends and schoolmates?"

"Hey, he came to ask me about _Miku_. He could ask her himself right? But he didn't! And that means something!" Mizki argued defensively. Rin opened her mouth, clearly about to say something again, but before the two of them could continue their squabble, Miku pushed in between them, blocking them from seeing each other. This was a ridiculous argument and she refused to play any part in it.

"Can we just go?" she asked meekly, hoping they would just hurry up and leave so that she could get home as soon as possible, bathe and take a nice nap. Mizki pouted and crumpled up her juice carton, grabbing her backpack from the bench as she, in one fluid movement, rose from her seat and tossed her crumpled carton into the nearby trash bin. It went in, and she cheered to herself, hopping out from the bench and sidling along behind her and Rin. Miku smiled a little, secretly glad that she had friends here. If she was really going to settle here for good, it would be nice to have friends.

* * *

Len awoke to someone pouring cold water on his face. Spluttering and coughing, he instinctively hit out at whoever was stupid enough to wake him up this way, but his fist collided with empty air.

Wiping the water away from his eyes, he shot up from the table and shook his head, the drops of liquid flying everywhere. Whoever had woken him up had clearly emptied more than just a small cup of water. His first thought was that he had fallen asleep in class and some teacher was employing a newfound, sadistic method of waking students up, but then he remembered that he hadn't gone to school. Looking around in irritation, his gaze landed on a beaming girl with green eyes and pink hair.

He groaned. "What the hell do you want, Mizki?" he turned away from her, combing his fingers through his hair as he attempted to push his still dripping fringe out of his eyes. He could feel cold drops of water trickling down the back of his neck. "How did you even get in?" he added, pushing himself up from the chair. His headache had gotten a little bit better, but he could still feel a very dull ache in his left temple. It made him feel just a bit nauseated, but it wasn't anything he couldn't tolerate.

"I'm your sister's friend, remember? I can come here whenever I want," Mizki set her empty glass on the table he had just vacated. "Rin told me to come up here and wake you up. I didn't want to touch you and you weren't responding to my voice, so I decided that this was the only way I could awaken you," her lip curled slightly as she spoke. Mizki did not bother to hide her distaste for him. But it wasn't like Len was interested in her anyway – he didn't want to be beaten up by Mizki's older brother, who happened to be a martial arts expert and was very protective of his baby sister. Len was certain that he wouldn't fare well against Yuma, so he wasn't going to do something as stupid as hitting on Mizki.

"What does Rin want, then?" he snapped, grabbing his phone from the table. The time read six in the evening, meaning he had been napping for…four hours? Maybe slightly more. It hadn't felt like that long to him – he could sort of remember his dream, it was very fuzzy but he thought he could hear a girl singing, and he saw green eyes and pale skin. But he had no idea who it was, and even less idea whether the dream should even matter to him. He glanced at Mizki, who glared back at him with her green eyes, and wondered if he had dreamt of her…no, the eyes in his dream were softer.

"She wants you to buy dinner, duh. Rin and I need to have some girl time," Mizki announced. "She wants to eat from the deli near the park. And you know they don't do delivery, so you have to go out and get food for us," Len found that as Mizki continued to talk, the throbbing in his head became worse and worse. And here he was thinking that he was actually getting better. He forced his eyes shut and hissed through his teeth, placing his palm against his forehead. "Hey, why are you being so quiet?" Mizki actually sounded a little concerned now. "Normally by now you'd be telling me to get my lazy ass out there to buy the food myself. Are you really sick, Len? Rin said you were just too lazy to –"

"I'll go, I'll go," Len interrupted, glancing around at her. She had her mouth open, one hand reaching out towards him. She was about to touch his shoulder, and he flinched away at the realisation – he had nothing personal against Mizki since he actually understood why she didn't like him but he still didn't want to be touched by anyone, least of all her. "Just…don't talk to me. And don't tell Rin anything about how I'm supposedly feeling," his eyes narrowed. "I'm perfectly fine, just stop bugging me all right?" he left the room so he could change into something else. He had been wearing the same shirt and pants since last night, and he was aware he didn't look like he was fit to go out.

Absentmindedly, he ran his fingers through his blond hair, some locks still damp and clumped together because of the water. He made a face – he couldn't tie his hair, not when it was wet. He knew enough about hair care to understand that tying wet hair up would be bad for his hair, and he didn't want his hair to start falling or something. Reaching his room, he quickly ducked inside and changed into a fresh set of clothes, hoping that the queue at the deli wouldn't be too long. He had no intentions of staying out too late today. Rin always wanted the same cheesy carbonara, and Mizki always wanted beef lasagne. He had bought food for them enough times to remember what they always ordered from the deli. Rin and Mizki didn't appreciate him enough.

He saw his sister watching television in the living room, her arm flung out along the back of the couch and her legs sprawled across the seats. He entertained the vague fantasy of crawling onto the couch in between her legs, but then Rin turned around and flipped him the finger and he rolled his eyes, stepping out of the house without bothering to say goodbye. He shivered. Although there was still some sun, it was fast approaching evening and the winds were starting to pick up. It was strange, he had never been so vulnerable to the cold before. Maybe the previous few nights where he had been shivering outside the house were just building up to his sickness today. He looked around him.

There was some guy walking his dog, and two elderly couples were chatting as they strolled along the walking path that linked the park to his street. The annoying brats from three houses down were screaming on their front yard – he could hear them all the way from here, and he briefly wondered what they were arguing about this time before deciding that he didn't care. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked down the pathway that led to the park, hoping to get there before the dinner crowd got too big. The deli was a popular place for people who didn't know how to cook or didn't have the time to prepare proper meals, and Len wasn't in the mood to squeeze with others today.

He should have brought his earpiece out, but he was so fixated on avoiding Mizki and getting her annoying voice out of his head that he had forgotten entirely about them by the time he was ready to go. But a few minutes without music wouldn't kill him – in fact, given this damn headache, maybe it was a good idea to leave his earpiece at home. He tilted his head slightly upwards to look at the sun and had to squint against the faint rays, wincing as the orange light aggravated the pain. He would go home and sleep the pain off, and if it persisted when he woke up tomorrow, he'd go see a doctor.

It was almost a relief when he reached the walkway. It was sheltered throughout, so he didn't have to be under the sun until he came out from the park. As he strolled along, he felt like he was in a world of his own – people spoke around him but hardly anyone paid him any attention, and for now that felt good. Len didn't want to be noticed by people while he was suffering. It would be nice if it rained tonight, since they'd been having a dry spell for a few weeks and he did miss the sound of raindrops pattering against his window. Then he would have a pleasant night's sleep as well, and that would be a great way to start his weekend despite his Saturday commitments.

He got through the park pretty fast, breaking out past the flowers and shrubbery into the next street. To his relief, he saw that the deli was still pretty empty, so he hurried over to the small, inconspicuous building with the red brick roof and pushed the door open, his gaze immediately wandering over to the deli menu. Since he was already here, he might as well get dinner for himself – it was either that or cook, and he wasn't in the mood to cook tonight. His stomach churned uncomfortably, and he was reminded of the fact that he had not eaten the entire day.

The deli was surprisingly empty. He was used to seeing lots of people in the evening, but maybe everyone was heading out to town to celebrate their weekend. Either way, there were only a few familiar faces sitting around, eating cold salads and baguettes. The girl behind the counter smiled flirtatiously at him and he returned the look, though he wasn't really feeling it at the moment. Normally, he would sidle right up to her and ask her if she wanted to grab a coffee or something after her shift was over, but he wasn't exactly feeling at the top of his game today, so he just went back to looking at the menu. He wasn't in the mood for something too heavy, but he was _hungry_.

The tinkling of the bell announced that another person had come into the deli, and Len hastened towards the counter, still staring at the display of sandwiches and chilled hams stored behind the glass display. Should he just get a sandwich or should he get his usual mac and cheese? But that was really heavy, and as he felt his stomach churn again he doubted that he would be able to finish the pasta without throwing it all up a few hours later. He needed something light…but Len hated salads and sandwiches just weren't filling. The thing about this deli was that all their healthier options were bread or pastry-related, while all their proper meals were pretty heavy on the cheese and salt.

The person who just entered the store walked to the counter, and he ignored them since he wasn't about to order any time soon. Should he just order Rin and Mizki's food first? They would complain if he took too long to come back with their food, and he certainly didn't want the pink haired girl to whine on and on about her hunger and his laziness. The girl behind the counter leant forward, showing him a little bit of her cleavage – she was wearing her black employee shirt with the top three buttons undone, and he was quite sure that this was lower than what her contract stated. She caught his eye and shot him a wink, and he just smiled back at her, secretly wishing he could just make up his mind and leave. His head was still throbbing, but the ache was dull and tolerable.

The counter girl walked to the glass display and took out two sandwiches, coming back to the cash register to pass the customer their food. Meanwhile, Len had finally decided on getting four egg mayo sandwiches, convinced that four sandwiches should be enough to fill him up for a while without making him want to puke. But as he looked across to the counter, he blinked in complete surprise – a familiar head of teal was standing there in front of the register, nervously patting her pockets as though she had dropped something. The counter girl was starting to look annoyed, and Len could immediately figure out what was going on. He stepped over with his wallet out.

"I'll pay for that," he gestured at the sandwiches Miku had asked for – one tuna, one ham and cheese. Miku's head snapped around – evidently she had not noticed him when she came in either – and she stared at him in utter shock, her green eyes wide and round. He ignored her for the time being, sliding a few notes over to the cashier, who just smiled at him as though Miku was non-existent. "Could you get me four egg mayo sandwiches too? As well as one cheesy carbonara and one beef lasagne. Takeaway please," he added, and the girl nodded and bustled off to the kitchen to get the food. Len took the sandwiches from the counter and silently handed them over to the girl standing beside him.

Miku took the sandwiches as though they were hiding a bomb, her hands shaking noticeably when the plastic containers were placed on her palms. "You sure you don't want a carrier?" he asked, since she had two containers to hold and it would just be easier to place them in a bag unless she wanted to eat the sandwiches in the deli. She shook her head mutely and he shrugged, thinking that it was her own convenience anyway. The cashier came back then with two big bowls covered in plastic lids and placed them in a takeaway bag, putting his sandwiches in along with the food. He paid her, and when she tore out his receipt from the machine he saw her grab a marker and scribble something on the back of the slip – when he took the receipt, he saw she had written her number and a "call me", a small heart drawn next to the two words. He just grinned at her and she giggled coquettishly – maybe he would call her, she didn't seem like she would be too serious about him.

He turned and left the deli with the takeaway bag in hand, surprised when Miku followed him – he was surprised that she hadn't just left while he was waiting for his food, but maybe she had something to say. He still felt irritated about what she said to him last night, but since he was aware that she was largely right about him he tried not to show it on his face. "What happened to your wallet?" he turned back slightly and asked her. She was trailing behind him with her sandwiches in hand, one of them already half-eaten. In the light of the setting sun, her teal hair looked luminous.

"I left it at home," she shrugged, popping the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth. She promptly tore open the second container and bit into the bread inside, continuing what she was saying. "I'll pay you back the next time I see you. Thanks for helping me back there," she gestured vaguely back towards the deli, her hand still clutching on to the empty container. Wordlessly, he reached out and grabbed the plastic holder from her, tossing it into a nearby dustbin. She gaped at him, obviously confused about his behaviour, and to be honest Len was somewhat confused about what he was doing as well.

"You're my neighbour and my schoolmate. I guess that's enough for me to help you out, since it would have been embarrassing if you were kicked out of the deli and I didn't want any commotion," he shrugged. "Don't think too much about it," he added, glancing back at her again. She was still watching him warily, her green eyes reflecting the orange light of the sun. She was wearing yet another oversized jumper and a pair of jeans, though this time the jumper was bright sunny yellow and Len was suddenly reminded of his blond hair. At least his hair was dry now and was no longer sticking uncomfortably to the back of his neck. He hated it when Mizki poured water on him.

"I didn't intend to read anything into it," she retorted sharply, but quickly her tone softened. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped," she sighed, placing her sandwich back into her remaining container and taping it closed. She quickened her footsteps so that now she was walking next to him, instead of behind him. "You don't look too well. I'll carry that for you," before he could react, she grabbed the takeaway bag and held it firmly in her grip, ignoring his protests. "It's the least I could do since you helped me out just now," she pointed out when he continued to reach for the bag, and finally he conceded, allowing her to do whatever she wanted. He glanced away from her, wondering why he kept seeing her everywhere when she didn't even like him. Was this God's idea of a good joke?

"Look, about last night…" she suddenly spoke again, catching his attention once more, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have sounded so harsh when I didn't know about your circumstances. It doesn't mean that I forgive what you did to my friend, and I certainly don't condone your kind of entertainment, but I know that I shouldn't have snapped at you when you were showing concern for me. I'm sorry about what I said, and I hope that you won't take it to heart," she sounded sincere, her face tilted up so that she could look him directly in the eye. Len blinked, taking in what she just said. Did she really apologise to him, or was his constant headache causing him to hallucinate? Probably the latter.

"What circumstances are you talking about?" he asked, remembering that part of her apology. She fidgeted, shifting the takeaway bag from one hand to another. It wasn't that light – the deli was generous with portions – and he hoped that she would give in and return the bag to him soon. He could carry it perfectly fine even while sickly, but Miku was slender and delicate and she just didn't seem like she could do very much. Though he knew that he was probably underestimating her.

She seemed nervous. "Rin said something about…about you getting into an accident. And that this accident might be the reason why you're being like this now," she looked away from him, probably uncomfortable with saying all this right in front of him. "She didn't tell me anything about what happened and said that if I really wanted to know, then I ought to ask you myself," she added. "I don't know if you would tell me since we're not particularly close, but if there's really some external reason as to why you do all this…I don't know, maybe I just shouldn't be so quick to judge. Though it doesn't mean I think what you do is forgivable, nevertheless," she looked straight ahead.

For a few seconds, he had no words to say. His twin sister had actually told a stranger about him being involved in an accident…whatever he expected from their confrontation, it had not been that. He didn't know whether he ought to be shocked, angry or just plain uncaring. Finally, he opted for the last choice. "You're right, I won't tell you since you're not even a friend of mine," he couldn't help the defensiveness in his tone. Though he was trying hard to be apathetic, the accident was still a little sensitive for him and he wasn't sure who to blame for this secret of his being leaked – Miku for knowing, or his sister for telling. Of course, he couldn't bring himself to get angry at either party. "Maybe if you decide to stop being prejudiced against me, you'll see that I'm not just a walking dick, you know," he added, the words slipping out before he could think over how they would sound.

She actually laughed at that. "A walking dick, Len? You sure do a pretty good impersonation of one," she giggled softly before she turned and their gazes met. He found himself stopping as the sunset was reflected in her eyes, her green eyes iridescent. In this very moment, she was more than just a pretty face or a hostile stranger – she was breathtakingly beautiful, and for just this very moment his head did not ache as he basked in her loveliness. But then he reminded himself about what she said last night and the moment passed and he was back to being, well, himself. Len wasn't very sure where his feelings for Miku stood, but he knew that he neither liked nor disliked her and he thought that maybe she felt the same. Maybe she didn't dislike him, given her apology towards him just now.

"Well, this is my house," she spoke first, and he realised that they were, indeed, standing in front of her house. She passed the takeaway bag back to him. "Thanks again for helping me out," she bit her lip as he took the bag from her, feeling the weight settle back onto his palm. "I know you could have just left me there but you didn't do it, so maybe…maybe you're not quite as bad as I thought you were," her brow furrowed. "At least I hope you're not," she added. "I'll try to finish the score as soon as I can and get it to you by Sunday night, and we'll see whether it's what you were looking for," she gave him a genuine smile then, and once more he was distracted for the briefest of moments by her sheer loveliness before he shook himself out of it and muttered a few words of approval.

With a final word of farewell she turned towards the driveway and walked over to her door, letting herself into the house. He just stood there and watched until she disappeared inside and the door closed firmly behind her, and he thought about their exchange and how he might have changed her impression of him. He hadn't intended to, really – when he paid for her food he had done so because she was an acquaintance and he wasn't a complete asshole. But this small gesture seemed to be enough to make her slightly more accepting of him, along with whatever Rin had told her at school. Were they good friends or just classmates? Maybe he would ask Rin, he was a little curious about it.

As he walked down the street towards his own house, he considered his original intentions to get Miku into his bed and for a while, he wondered if he really wanted to do that. She was so difficult, and she was unlike any of the other girls who interacted with him. She might actually end up becoming a friend, since she seemed so thoroughly unaffected by his looks and what he said. God knew he needed friends, he had plenty of contacts but when it came to real friends, he had five…or fewer. It would be nice to have a female friend, someone who could offer a perspective that wouldn't be like his own or like Kaito and Piko's. But the idea of just settling for friendship with Miku seemed almost like acknowledging defeat in some way. He couldn't believe that she didn't like him in the slightest.

Exhaling through his nose, he decided to stop thinking about Miku for the moment and focus on getting home with the food still warm. He remembered the slip of paper in his takeaway bag and recalled the cashier's playful wink, and thought that maybe tomorrow he would call her and ask if she was interested in having a fling with him. It would do something to get his thoughts away from the doe-eyed girl with the long teal hair, who seemed almost unaware of how beautiful she was.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Len was moaning and his mother was sitting next to him in bed, gently wiping at his forehead with a wet cloth. He was running a high fever. Rin and their father were standing outside the door, watching Len as he tossed and turned in bed. Maybe he was having a nightmare.

Their mother rested the back of her hand against his forehead. "He's burning up," she announced, smoothing the damp blond fringe back from Len's closed eyes. "We should get a doctor to come and see him…he hasn't been getting enough rest lately, this must be why he's sick now," she shook her head, rising quietly from the bedside and walking over towards them. Len continued clutching at his blanket tightly, and the small groans that came from him made him sound like he was in pain. Rin went off to call their family doctor, and their mother and father decided that they wouldn't busy themselves with work today. Len rarely ever got sick, but when he did he became dangerously ill.

The family doctor came down within an hour. He looked at Len, measured his temperature, asked a few questions and prescribed some typical fever medicine and painkillers. The doctor assured them that Len ought to be feeling better within a few days, and that since now the weather was getting chilly it would be good if he covered up more when he went out, especially late at night. Len spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon drifting between wakefulness and dreams. When he dreamt, it was always of the same thing – a small smile, an outstretched hand, an eternal blue sky with white clouds and sunshine. He was holding on to that hand, but then the person would fade away into nothingness and he would wake up, head pounding and a terrible foul taste in his mouth.

* * *

The very moment Miku knocked on the door, it was flung open and she was yanked into the house, Rin's grip on her wrist almost painfully tight. Miku stumbled past the threshold of the house, catching her very first glimpse of the Kagamine household. The first thing she noticed was that it was a very cosy sort of place. The living room alone was decorated in warm browns and nudes, with large open windows and gauzy drapes. They had a plush white couch and a woven carpet, surrounded by pretty lamps emitting soft, radiant light. It was lovely, but in a different way from her own house.

"Rin!" Miku protested when the blonde girl let go of her arm. Rin looked like she was ready to go on a date – she was all dressed up for once, wearing a sleek black halter dress and a very expensive looking crystal pendant. "Are you going out? Why did you suddenly ask me to come over?" Rin had called her asking her to come over for something urgent, and Miku quickly put on a comfortable loose tank and a pair of shorts before she went to Rin's house. The blonde did sound like she was in a rush and Miku was curious about what Rin was planning for tonight. It was already seven, after all.

"I have a date with my boyfriend. Shion Kaito," Rin added for Miku's benefit, when the teal haired girl tilted her head in confusion. "But my parents went to attend someone's wedding and well, the house can't be left without anyone around. Mizki and Luka are busy and I honestly don't trust any other girls to look after the house for me, so I called you over. And anyway you live the closest to me," Rin slid a lock of her hair behind her ear, a small smile on her face. "Would you do me this favour, Miku?" Rin wheedled. "I'll help you with whatever you want. You just need to stay around until eleven! I'll be back by then, or my parents will be back. Then you can go home," she beamed.

Miku hesitated. "Why can't you leave the house alone? Just lock the door and you're done, right?" she reasoned. It wasn't that she minded staying around in Rin's house – their house was pretty nice after all, and she didn't live far away. She could always just quickly pop back home and grab her homework so that she could finish it while she was here. It was just strange that Rin said they _had_ to have someone in the house while she was gone. This was taking paranoia to an entirely new level.

"Okay, well…actually, Len is sick. He's really ill," Rin sighed, glancing up at the ceiling. Miku raised her eyebrows, surprised by this piece of information. The boy had seemed perfectly fine just yesterday. "We can't just leave him alone at home when he's still having his fever. His temperature has come down a little and he's sleeping right now so he shouldn't be a bother, but just in case his condition gets worse we need someone to stay here and look after him. You probably won't even see him at all," Rin added, "I bet he'll sleep till tomorrow. If he needs anything he'll come down himself, he hates it when people go into his room, even me. The only one who can go in without getting yelled at is our mother!" she rolled her eyes, and Miku giggled. The eye roll was just so characteristic of Rin.

"If you put it like that I can't say no, can I?" she scratched her head, looking around the living room again and wondering what she could do to pass the time. Rin grinned, thanking her profusely as she opened the door and stepped out of the house. Miku could now see a sleek silver car – she didn't know what brand it was, but it certainly looked expensive – and saw a tall, navy haired boy leaning against the front door, his arms folded across his chest. Rin hurried over to him and Kaito kissed her on the cheek, before spotting Miku standing in the doorway and giving her a friendly wave.

Then Kaito and Rin got into the car and they drove off. Miku watched the car get smaller and smaller until it completely disappeared, then she went back inside the house. For a while, she just walked around the ground floor, looking at what the Kagamine family had in their home. The ground floor comprised a large living room, a smaller kitchen and a dining area. The kitchen was clean white and tiled, and Miku found herself wishing that her own kitchen could be as well stocked. Of course, she knew that it was just because she hadn't gone shopping for groceries or utensils yet, but she still hoped that her kitchen would eventually look somewhat like this one. It looked very well-used.

She didn't dare to go up to the next floor since this wasn't her house, and what Rin said about Len not allowing people into his room made her wary about just wandering around in the house. She didn't want to accidentally stumble inside his room while exploring the other floors, and anyway just poking around in another person's house would be rude. So Miku sat on the soft white couch and switched on the television, flipping through the various channels to see what she could watch. There was a cooking programme on right now, so she set the remote down and curled up in her seat.

Maybe she should just go home and grab her homework quickly before coming back to Rin's house. She couldn't help but feel like she was wasting precious time here, but she was hesitant about just running outside even if it was for only a while. Rin said that Len was ill, so what if she went outside and Len needed help at the same time? Or what if Len ended up doing something stupid while she was out? She wouldn't put it past him to call someone over while the house was empty. Sure, Rin said he was sick, but maybe he wasn't _that_ sick…he was fine yesterday, how could he be so ill now?

So for a while, Miku just sat around and watched whatever came on the television. After an hour of doing this, she couldn't stand it anymore and she got off the couch and went to the kitchen. She looked in the fridge – it was rather full with organic food products and beautifully ripe fruits. The kitchen cabinets contained cereals and instant ramen or other dry, canned foods. One of the cabinets was labelled 'Rin Only' and when she peeked inside, she saw it was completely filled with potato chips and snacks. This didn't surprise Miku at all, and she closed the door without touching anything in case Rin checked her stash and realised that something was missing. Maybe she could cook some of the instant ramen, or even better, make a healthy meal…but this wasn't her house.

Looking in the fridge again, she saw some leeks and onions along with a carton of beef broth. She was quite tempted to cook up some French onion soup with leeks, her favourite vegetable, but she resisted the urge to cook since she didn't know how Rin's parents would react to someone else using their kitchen. Miku liked to cook when she was bored, since it was nice to see raw ingredients being combined to form delicious meals. Plus, Miku liked to eat – not that it was obvious, given her slender frame, but she ran a lot and she had a body type which just wouldn't gain weight no matter what she ate. It sounded great until it became apparent that she would always be mistaken for anorexic.

She glanced at the utensils, hanging neatly on the hooks in the kitchen wall. They were polished to a great shine and they reflected the light in the kitchen ceiling, looking so perfect that they might as well be straight out from a catalogue. She wouldn't have been able to bring herself to use the kitchen utensils even if she had the courage to cook, since they were just so shiny and new looking. Lifting her gaze, she saw the kitchen clock and realised that it was half past eight. Rin said that either she or her parents would be back at eleven, so she still had two and a half hours left in this place.

Sighing, she went back to the living room, where the television was still switched on. She had flipped all the way to a cartoon channel and now, she watched as lively animated characters pranced across a bright green meadow and gracefully leapt off a bridge into the lake below. She didn't know what this cartoon was, so she picked up the remote and switched the television off. The screen went blank and she flopped against the back of the sofa, still not sure about what she ought to do. She was starting to feel so bored, but she couldn't just leave the house and she couldn't poke around in the upper floors either. Maybe she ought to just take a nap until Rin came back or Len woke up…

She thought she heard a creaking sound from upstairs and shot straight up, listening closely with her heart in her throat. But after listening for a while longer she didn't hear anything else, so she relaxed and told herself that she was simply imagining things. Rin said that Len was resting so he probably wasn't up and about at the moment. But five minutes later she heard a thumping sound and another creak, and she decided that she was definitely not imagining those noises. Should she go investigate what the noises were? Maybe Len was now awake and, in his current state, bumping into things.

There was yet another thump, and she hastily got off the couch, making up her mind to at least find out what he was doing. As she slipped up the stairs, wincing as one of the steps creaked noisily, she heard the faintest strains of music coming to her ears. She paused in the middle of the staircase, her fingers wrapped tightly around the polished wooden railing. The melody was extremely familiar, and she found herself swaying slightly as her eyes closed, trying to identify the music piece – it took her around three bars, but then her eyes snapped open and her lips parted. "Chopin, Opus 64 No. 1," she said to herself in recognition, quickly climbing up the stairs to where the music was coming from.

She found herself on the first floor landing. There were two doors directly facing each other here and two more right at the very end of the hallway. One of the doors at the end was slightly ajar and she could hear the music coming from there – the music was clear and light-hearted. It was one of her favourite pieces from the Romantic period. She slunk over to the door and peeked inside, not wanting to distract the pianist – the room was wide and spacious, the wallpaper printed with pink roses and curling vines. But what she noticed the most was the grand piano right in the centre of the room and the blond haired pianist sitting in front of it, his slender fingers flying across the keys with incredible precision and control. His left foot continuously stepped on the pedal, his head nodding to the rhythm of the music. She could hear the ending of the song coming and dreaded the last note, wishing to listen to him play more. She could play well – but Len was just _slightly_ better.

She had never been able to pull off Romantic pieces. She didn't have the emotion needed to really make the piece stand out. She was excellent at classical and baroque melodies, but when it came to waltzes and serenades she was too mechanical and stiff. Len finished the last note, letting it echo throughout the room for a while, and she wondered what he was going to do now. Instead of getting up or turning around, after a few moments he went into another song, and what amazed her was how he didn't need to refer to a score, playing every piece with all its expressions from memory.

It did not take as long for her to identify his current piece, since she heard it all the time at weddings. Pachelbel's Canon in D swept over her, lulling her as she found her fingers fluttering, making the same motions as his hands over the piano keys. He could go from something as fast as Chopin's waltz to this piece without letting the previous affect his playing at all, and his phrases were long and smooth, all his _crescendos_ and _decrescendos_ gradual and just…perfect. He was really good with the right pedal, which was excellent as a bad pedal could utterly ruin the music. There were some people who were just too enthusiastic with the pedalling and the music became loud and slurred, and not in the least bit lovely. Suddenly the music stopped and she saw him hunch over and start to cough, the sound low and raspy. Concerned, she immediately went inside the room towards him.

"Are you all right?" she stood next to him and asked, one hand unconsciously reaching out towards him. Len glanced up at her and his vivid blue eyes widened at the sight of her. Hastily, he scrambled away from her across the piano seat, looking as though she was a ghost who had just materialised from nowhere to stand before him – she supposed she sort of did appear unexpectedly, since no one told him that she was here and he probably didn't hear her coming up the stairs towards the room.

"How are you in my house?" he shot back, his voice hoarse. Now that she could look at his face, she saw that his skin was sickly pale and that his hands were shaking slightly – that impressed her even more, that his fingers could tremble yet still play the piano so beautifully. His blond fringe looked matted and uneven, sticking to his forehead, and his lips were almost completely white. There were dark bags under his eyes, making him look haggard. He really did look terribly sick – Rin wasn't exaggerating his illness, and Miku really didn't think he was faking it. "Why are you even here?" he demanded, his brow suddenly furrowing. "You shouldn't be here. I mean…how did you get in?" he repeated dazedly to himself, looking away from her. His hand fluttered up to his forehead.

"Rin asked me to look after you and the house while she went out. She told me you're sick, and that your parents are both attending a wedding dinner so she needed someone to come over. And I live the closest to your house," Miku explained, though she wasn't sure how much of her explanation Len was hearing. He was shaking his head slightly, his fingers shaking noticeably now. "Do you need to rest?" she asked, concerned now that she knew he really, truly was terribly sick and wasn't just faking it for sympathy or…whatever else he might be doing. Len shook his head sharply at the very suggestion and she backed away, unsure of what else she could do. He looked like he was dying.

"Been sleeping…all day," he murmured to himself, looking at her from between his fingers. His blue eyes were wild. "Bored out of my mind. I really need to play something," abruptly, he turned back to the piano again, his fingers poised over the ivory keys, but before he could start playing anything she stepped towards him, placing a firm hand on his arm. She felt him stiffen at her touch and his hands froze in mid-air, his head swivelling towards her. He looked almost betrayed for some reason. She felt guilty, but she knew that she couldn't just watch him in this state. He definitely needed to rest.

"How about you sit somewhere and I play for you instead?" she offered hastily, gently moving his hands away from the piano. She wasn't quite sure herself why she was being so careful with him, but she knew she couldn't just be brutal with Len, not while he was so sick. When she touched his skin, she could feel the heat radiating off his body but she could also feel him trembling, and she knew that even if he wanted to do something besides sleep, he shouldn't be playing the piano right now. People thought that playing the piano was effortless, that one didn't need much energy to press a few keys. But she knew that playing could be draining, especially when one played in the same intense, emotional way Len did. It would just tire him out, and that would make him feel worse.

To her surprise, he actually got up from the seat and gestured towards her, asking her to sit. Hesitantly, she sat and drew the chair in slightly – Len's arms and legs were longer than hers, she didn't need to sit as far away from the piano as him. "What can you play?" Len's question was soft and raspy, and she pursed her lips, thinking hard about what she knew. She could play almost anything, but her forte was mostly classical pieces. And, unlike Len, she couldn't play entire musical scores from memory. Granted, the two pieces she overheard him playing weren't that long, but she didn't think she could recall them when she had so many other pieces in her mind, all fighting for space in her memory. Her gaze drifted to Len, who was standing slightly behind her with his arms folded across his chest. Suddenly, she was reminded of her previous piano teacher, a stern man who used to rap her knuckles with his ruler when she didn't arch her fingers perfectly. She shuddered.

"Classical pieces are best, or baroque pieces. Technical scores," she answered quietly, trying to breathe in deeply and calm herself down. She wouldn't be able to play well if she was so tense. She was nervous since Len played incredibly, even while so sick. Miku always had preferred to sing rather than play, though she could do both. She learnt how to play the piano so she could compose melodies to accompany her lyrics. She did not fancy sitting at a piano all day and just practicing over and over again…yet, it was obvious that was what Len did. No one became so expressive in music just though sheer talent. He had sat here and played over and over again to get to where he was.

Len walked – or more accurately, he stumbled – over to a nearby glass panelled cabinet, where she saw there were quite a few folders and books. He opened the cabinet and took out a cream manila folder, retrieving a clipped set of papers and putting the folder back inside the cabinet. He came over to her with the sheets in hand and when he held them out to her silently, she took them, her fingers quivering slightly as she traced the notes on the first page. "This is a baroque piece I haven't heard in a long time. I haven't been playing other composers for a while. This one isn't too difficult, so I believe you should be able to sight read if you've never played it," Len murmured, his blue gaze still intense despite how sick he was. She pretended to be unaffected by how piercing his eyes were.

"Sonata in D minor, K. 141. Domenico Scarlatti," she read off the top of the sheet, flipping through the pages. She saw the trills on the very first page and was already slightly intimidated – it looked like a lot for her, since she hadn't played the piano in a while and her fingers were rather stiff. Nowadays she was so busy with packing and unpacking and flying around. But Len had, in a way, given her a challenge and she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Determinedly, she placed the music score on the ledge and tested out the first chord, her fingers pressing the keys lightly as she played D minor and got herself into the mood for the piece. Baroque pieces were sharp, clear and precise, focusing more on technical skill than emotion or expression. She couldn't afford to make any obvious mistakes for the piece to sound good, and she…really wanted to impress Len.

She didn't know why he reminded her so much of her old piano teacher, but she had been terrified of the stern man with the steel spectacles when she was young and had always wanted to impress him and make him proud of his pupil. Len gazed expectantly at her and, taking in a deep breath, she began to play, her fingers dancing slowly and tentatively across the piano keys before she steadily started to gain confidence and played slightly faster, trying to follow the musical directions.

When she started to make mistakes, she flinched and had to fight her desire to go back and repeat, instead continuing to sight read and play on. Len, who was still standing quietly behind her, didn't make any indication that he had heard anything wrong, but she knew that someone as good as Len was bound to have noticed the slip. She was already at the second page, which meant she was halfway through the piece, and she hoped that she wouldn't end up making another mistake again while she was playing. It was her pet peeve, though her previous teachers always told her that when she was sight reading it was better to continue on like the mistake had never happened. She was a perfectionist and she couldn't just pretend like she never slipped up. This was probably why her sight reading was always the worst performing component in her musical exams, besides the second piece since the second piece they had to play during the music examination was always a romantic piece.

She continued on, Len reaching over to flip the page for her when she was nearing the end of the third page. She focused very hard on the notes and the trills and the few slurs, scared that her fingers would stiffen up or slip when she had to play a trill again. Len started to pace behind her, his steps getting faster and faster the closer she came to the end, and she found that very distracting. It was difficult to maintain her current pace as Len walked back and forth behind her, obviously thinking about something. Her hands trembled slightly when she hit the last note, and she slowly withdrew her hands, placing them together on her lap. The ringing of that last note echoed throughout the room, highlighting the obvious silence between them. The atmosphere here was almost tense.

She heard him slowly start to clap. She turned, a little surprised, and saw him staring right back at her, his blue eyes hooded. His fringe was covering the top half of his face and blocking part of his gaze from view, but he didn't seem to care. "You did pretty well for someone who never played this before," he commented, his voice still hoarse and quiet. However, he seemed slightly livelier, and it didn't look like he was so…agitated anymore. Just now, before she stopped him from playing on, she could see the frantic fear in his eyes when he stayed still and stared at her, but he was calm now.

"You flatter me," she said modestly, though she was pleased by the compliment, coming from someone who was as good as Len. Len smiled at her as she rose from the seat, placing the red velvet cloth back over the keys and gently lowering the black cover. When she was done, Len stood next to the door and waited and she walked out of the room, knowing that he would follow her out. He closed the door behind them as she went back down to the living room, secretly feeling a little better now that she had company besides the kitchen and the television. Of course, Kagamine Len was certainly rather questionable company especially since he was ill, but she couldn't bear the thought of sitting alone downstairs until Rin came back without anything else to entertain her.

She glanced across at the clock on the living room wall. It was nine now, so there were two hours to go. Len went into the kitchen instead of sitting in the living room, and curious she rose from the white couch and followed him – she could hear him hacking and coughing while he drew out two ceramic cups, running them under the tap for a while. "Do you want hot chocolate or coffee?" he asked without turning around. She hesitated at the question. Miku didn't really want Len to be making her anything while he was sick. He should be resting instead of being up and about.

"I'll make the drink," she came over, taking the cups from him. He glanced at her, looking tired. His blue eyes were dull. "You go sit outside. I'll make you some honey and lemon," she turned around, wondering if the kitchen had lemons. She knew there was honey in one of the cabinets. It was Len's turn to hesitate, and after a moment he nodded, shuffling out of the kitchen. She went to the fridge and poked around in the fruits section, and finally behind a bag of oranges, she found two lemons.

Satisfied, she took the yellow fruit out. It was firm and cold, and she rolled the lemon around in her grip, deciding that it was good and ripe enough for her to use. Taking one of the citrus fruits, she cut the lemon into slices and found the juicer, pressing the slices into the juicer and squeezing out the juice. She did that for all the lemon slices and, after getting a decent amount of the cloudy liquid, she filtered the seeds out from the mixture and poured the lemon juice into one cup. Walking over to the cabinet with the honey, she opened the door and took the honey out, checking that it hadn't expired yet. Satisfied, she unscrewed the lid and took out two scoops of the amber liquid, knocking the spoon against the cup and letting the thick, viscous substance drip slowly into the lemon juice.

Mixing the honey and juice together with the honey covered spoon, she moved towards the hot water dispenser and filled the rest of the cup with hot water, stirring the mixture and ensuring that the honey dissolved perfectly within the liquid. Satisfied, she put the cup aside and filled up the remaining cup with warm water from the kettle, and then she brought out both cups with her to the living room. Len was sitting with his back against the white couch, right where she had been sitting when she first came into the house. He looked up at her when she left the kitchen, and for a while the two of them just watched each other, their gazes clashing. Then she blinked and the moment was gone, and Len went back to staring fixedly at the blank television screen. He looked lifeless.

She set the cup with the honey lemon drink down before him. "I made hot honey and lemon for you," she said awkwardly, feeling strange about talking to him right now. It was odd being in his house and making him drinks. He reached out with a small nod of thanks and leant back against the couch, the cup in hand. It was steaming hot, and he blew carefully at the surface of the liquid before taking a sip. She sat on the other end of the couch, curling up in the seat and holding her own cup.

"Must be boring in my house," he croaked, voice still nothing like what she was used to. "I see that you didn't bring much along with you," his gaze went from her head to her toes, and she suddenly became very conscious of the fact that she was dressed in nothing more than a thin tank top and a pair of denim shorts. She flushed, scrambling to sit primly and properly on the couch. It was the first time she was wearing so little in front of Len, and she hoped that he was sick enough that he wouldn't notice how skimpy her outfit was. She ought to have at least grabbed a cardigan or something before coming, but Rin had sounded really desperate and she literally just threw on the first things she saw before dashing over. She hadn't even bothered to tie up her long, thick hair.

"I kept myself entertained for a while. Then I heard you playing," she answered, sipping her warm water as she kept an eye firmly on him. He was no longer paying her any attention, frowning down at his honey lemon drink, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She definitely didn't want him to notice her on any physical level. "You play very well," she offered as the silence between them grew, making her feel a little awkward. But she and Len were always awkward, that was nothing new.

"Thanks," he said quietly, placing his cup down on the coffee table before them. His coffee table was long, low and made of dark, polished mahogany. There were drawers set into the table as well, with ornate little hooks so they could be easily opened. "I've been playing the piano ever since I could remember. I think I was four years old when I first started going for classes. It used to be the perfect stress relief for me, but when I got older…well, it wasn't really enough," she could tell that he was making a subtle reference to his deviant behaviour, but she chose not to acknowledge his little hint. Instead, she set her cup down on the coffee table as well, looking right at him. He was gazing at the television again, his fingers pressed together to form a steeple on his lap. He looked almost gaunt.

"I didn't start playing as young as you. I was eight when I first started. A little late, but I loved the sound of the piano. I had a strict teacher…" she broke off, her gaze roaming over his profile. His straight, sloped nose with his high cheekbones, his full, pale lips and his stern expression…yes, when Len was sickly, he reminded her an awful lot of her first teacher. "You remind me of him," she said aloud, causing him to turn towards her with a curious eyebrow raised. "You don't look alike at all, but when you stood behind me while I was playing, somehow I was just reminded of him. You both have the same intensity when it comes to the piano. He used to stand behind me holding a ruler in his hand, waiting for me to make any mistakes…he's very strict," she admitted, "but he was good, and without him my foundation wouldn't have been sufficient. I appreciate him, but not his methods."

Len smiled. "I'm very particular about music too," he admitted. "I'm more of a composer and player than a singer, but I can do all three if I have to. I usually played the music while Rin sang. She sings quite well, you know," he laughed hoarsely at the look of surprise on her face. "I know you wouldn't expect it from someone as rude and vigorous as my sister, but she has quite a sweet voice…lower than yours, perhaps not as sweet or melodious as yours, but just as capable of carrying through a room. Her voice certainly gets attention. She was born to be a soloist, though we do sing duets when she's in the mood to," he shrugged. Miku was just startled by how he had described her voice. He said that her voice was melodious and carried well – did he really pay that much attention to her?

"Duets?" she echoed. "I'd like to listen one day," she mused to herself. He shrugged, and for some time the both of them didn't say anything. She thought over the way he talked about her voice, finding it surprising that he actually noticed anything about her besides her physical appearance. She had no doubt that Kagamine Len paid attention to her looks, but she didn't assume he would notice other things like her voice or…whatever else he might have noticed. She didn't know how she felt about this. On one hand, she felt like she ought to be unnerved, but on the other hand she couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. Though honestly, Miku didn't want to feel good about it at all.

She wondered if this was a sign that he knew who she was, but thought it was more likely that he was just particularly observant. If he knew who she was, then surely he would have said something to her by now. "Do you think we could be friends?" Len suddenly asked, his voice still low and full of illness. Her gaze shot up and she looked at him in complete shock, wondering if he was delirious from sickness, but when she met his eyes his blue gaze was clear and lucid. She looked back to her hands clutched tightly in her lap, thinking over his words. What did he mean? Did he want to be genuine friends with her, or was he just using this as a front to get close? She couldn't tell, she didn't know if she wanted to figure out his true intentions, and suddenly she felt extremely suffocated.

"Maybe, if you stop sleeping around with every girl you see. Have you called that cashier already?" she asked, her voice coming out a little sharper than she originally intended. She hadn't missed the little exchange yesterday, and Len had certainly looked like he was about to reciprocate her interest. Len snorted at that question – a painful sound, but a snort nevertheless – and gave her a droll look. It was the first time today she had seen expression at all in his blue eyes, and that was a good thing. At least he no longer looked like he was dying. It was strange to see Len looking so unlike himself.

"Do I look like I'm in a state to call anyone? I was asleep all day," he answered, voice perfectly calm. Though Miku thought that, if Len had been better, his voice would have been filled with sarcasm. She didn't bother to react to that, and after a while Len gave her a small smile, blue eyes weary once more. "And if I told you that maybe I'd stop sleeping around, then what would you do?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Then maybe we can be friends," she said slowly. He nodded, and the two of them remained in semi-awkward silence, just talking about music and other hobbies until the clock hit eleven and Len's parents came home from the wedding dinner. They were friendly and pleasant people, and for some reason Len's mother – who shared the same silky blonde hair and fine, delicate features as her son – looked absolutely delighted to see her in the house. Len's father thanked her for coming over to look after Len in place of Rin, and Len's mother made her promise that she would join them for dinner some time. When Len walked her out of the house, already seeming better than when she first saw him, he whispered to her not to take his mother seriously, sounding almost embarrassed. But she said that if his mother really wanted her around, she didn't mind. Len didn't say anything in response to that, simply holding the door open for her and stepping outside.

She glanced at him in confusion. "Why are you coming outside?" she asked bluntly, placing her hands firmly in the pockets of her shorts. It was slightly windy out tonight, and her bare legs were exposed to the cold. It wasn't anything she couldn't tolerate, she had lived in colder places before, but she still felt a little uncomfortable. Len just stared back at her as though she had said something stupid. He had grabbed the grey hoodie draped over one of chairs in the dining area right before he went to the door, and he now looked extremely warm in the jacket. She was jealous.

"You came to my place and kept me company in place of my twin. Plus you're a girl…" he hesitated for a second here. "I should walk you back," he finally said, his tone so firm that she knew better than to argue. For someone who was practically half-dead from his fever, he could be awfully stubborn. "Don't bother shoving me inside either, my mother would agree that I should walk you home. You live nearby anyway," he coughed into his hand, looking away from her momentarily. "I'll be fine. Let's go so I can get home and seek refuge from this bloody wind," he grumbled, setting off without her. She chased after him, walking briskly so that her legs wouldn't become too chilled.

He must have noticed her discomfort as she danced back on forth on the pavement beside him, though she tried her very best not to make it too obvious. "You're cold," he stated, and to her surprise he started to shrug off his grey hoodie. Instinctively she held her hands out, hastily stopping him from taking it off, and he frowned dazedly at her. "Just take the damn thing, I'll be fine," he got one arm out from the jacket before she clutched on to him, preventing him from going any further.

Warmth was radiating from him, but she could feel him shivering. The sky outside was very dark and there were a few stars high up above them. It was a calm and peaceful sort of night, and she felt she would be perfectly safe walking home alone, though she appreciated the company. She really thought it would be better if he stayed home though. "You're already sick, Kagamine Len!" she cried out, her fingers wrapped tightly around his arm. "You've done enough for me. I haven't even paid you back for the food yesterday. If you take off your hoodie for me your stupid fever is only going to get worse!"

They stared at each other in silence for a while, his blue eyes widening in the moonlight. The silvery light fell upon him, highlighting the upper half of his face and making his blond hair seem almost white. Then gently, his free hand reached up and removed hers and he took the hoodie off, placing the warm grey cotton jacket around her shoulders. She stared at him dazedly as he moved back and smiled at her – a surprisingly genuine smile that made her heart speed up in her chest. She hated this, she hated herself, she hated that she was making him sicker and she hated that this actually made her happy. "You might think that I'm an asshole who only knows how to mess with girls," he said quietly, voice still rather hoarse, "but I really try my best to minimise the damage I leave. It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. I don't set out intending to break hearts, though I know it's an unfortunate consequence of my actions and I'm truly sorry about it. I don't particularly enjoy what I do, but sometimes it doesn't feel like I have any choice. I can't relax or forget about things, otherwise," his gaze darted away from her. "Anyway, I do care about people. I don't want you to get cold or end up like me now," he frowned. "Trust me, running a high fever over the weekend _sucks_."

She clutched on to the jacket around her shoulders, desperately thinking about a way to return the jacket without him just pushing it on her once more. "Uh, you wore this already. It probably has your germs all over it…you should take it back," she tried to shrug the jacket off, but Len placed his hands on her shoulders and refused to let go, preventing her from removing the outerwear. He didn't stop until she sighed and gave in, putting her arms through the sleeves. "You're going to regret this when you wake up tomorrow, you know," she warned, sounding almost angry. "You're going to make your fever worse, running around at night in this chilly weather without any hoodie on…"

"I have medicine, I'm young and strong. I'll be fine," Len said dismissively. "I'm already a lot better than I was this morning, if you ask my mother. At least I can walk and talk lucidly now. I rarely get ill, and when I do become sick it's always really bad. On the bright side, I recover fast as well," he shot her a smile. It wasn't the flirtatious smile she saw at the deli yesterday, nor was it the awkward smile he usually gave her when he didn't know what to say. It was a warm smile that didn't look any less charming despite his sickness. "Just hurry up so I can walk you back and get home before I freeze to death," he added, "otherwise if I really do end up dying tomorrow you'll have to take responsibility."

"Why me?" she protested laughingly, and they continued on their way. Miku returned his jacket promptly upon stepping into the warmth of her house and quickly returned him the cash she owed as well. She did invite him inside to get a warm drink before he went back out into the chilly night, but he declined and she just stood at her doorway in her tank and shorts, watching until his figure disappeared into the night. When he was swallowed up by the darkness, she slammed the door shut and sank down against the wooden surface, breathing heavily. Her mind was in a whirl, and her emotions were incredibly confused. What was she supposed to feel now? Touched? Cynical?

Why was he being so nice to her? There had to be a motive of some sort. She didn't believe that he did all this out of the kindness of his heart – if Len was kind, then he wouldn't be breaking hearts left right and centre. But at the same time, something within her whispered that he didn't look like he was anything but genuine – when he gave her the jacket at the expense of his health, when he stepped out into the cold night to walk her home because he felt like that was what a boy ought to do…if this was all just a game to him, then would he have put his health at risk for that? She didn't believe that he was so nice – decent maybe, nice no – but at the same time, she couldn't disregard what had happened.

And that question! _Do you think we could be friends_? What kind of question was that? Did he really just want to be _friends_ with her? Was he not going to bother to seduce her and play his stupid little games like he did with every other girl he saw? She wanted so badly to believe that they could be friends, but she still had her suspicions and doubts. People didn't change, at least not overnight, not even while they were terribly sick. But he was changing right before her very eyes. The important thing was, was this change real or was it all just an act orchestrated to make her fall for him?

Miku slowly rose from the floor and walked into the living room, curling up on her sleek leather couch and rocking back and forth as she thought about Len. If this was the old Len, the one she knew in her childhood, then she wouldn't have doubted for a second that all this was real…but this Len wasn't the Len she knew of old, so she had to be careful. Until she saw more she didn't dare to believe that he was genuinely nice to her. She would simply have to wait and see how things went.

 _And if what you saw is really the old Len? What if he's really still like that despite the player ways and the heartaches, what will you do then_? The question sneaked up into her mind and she froze, her heart still thudding away in her chest. Abruptly, she pushed the thought away, unwilling to consider that possibility at the moment. Until she was sure, she wouldn't do anything other than watch.


	10. Chapter 10

Len didn't expect to have twenty missed calls and more than fifty unread messages when he woke up on Sunday afternoon. Groggily, his arms unbelievably weak, he reached out to his phone and looked through his call log to see who was calling him...it was mostly the same few girls who just messaged him repeatedly, concerned about his lack of response. He shook his head, groaning softly.

Then one message caught his eye. It was from Miku. Curious, he opened the text – there were only four words in the message, but those four words caused a smile to tug at the corner of his lips. "Thanks for last night," he said out loud, his voice still raspy though it wasn't as bad as yesterday. He hoped he would be fully recovered by tomorrow. Reaching up, he pressed the back of his hand against his forehead but he couldn't tell if he still had a fever or not. He'd ask his mother later.

He heard someone knock on his door. "Come in," he called in as loud a voice as he could manage. The door swung open and Rin poked her head in, her expression one of concern. He smiled tiredly at her, unable to muster the energy to do anything more than that, and her blue eyes lit up with relief.

"I thought you were dead or something, you've never slept in so late before," Rin pulled the door open slightly wider, silently asking if she could come in. Len nodded and she slipped in, closing the door quietly behind her. "Mum told me that Miku took good care of you last night. She asked me if you two were dating," her blue eyes narrowed at that, regarding him suspiciously. "Please tell me you're not, Len. We both know what happens whenever you get close to a girl," she sounded accusatory. He met her gaze, uncertain about how to answer. If he lied, she wouldn't believe him. But if he told the truth, that he _did_ want to sleep with Miku, he would never hear the end of it.

"Miku wouldn't allow me to touch her anyway," he finally answered, and that seemed to satisfy Rin. His sister flopped down on his chair, crossing her slim legs and placing a single finger against her chin. Len was sure she had gone out on a date with Kaito last night – Rin liked to stay at home and draw unless someone she cared for invited her out. She normally only went out with Mizki and Luka, who both wouldn't invite Rin out so late…so that probably left Kaito. The knowledge made him a little uneasy, but he didn't let it show on his face. They were boyfriend and girlfriend, after all. There was nothing wrong with them going out on a date at night. He just didn't like the thought of his twin sister and his good friend being in a relationship. Why did Rin have to choose Kaito, of all people?

"You shouldn't be wanting to touch her in the first place," his sister said disapprovingly. "Miku said she told you off about your behaviour two nights ago. I hope that what she says might get to you since you never listen to me," she glared at him and he just looked away, unable to suppress the guilt rising up within him. Maybe he was addicted to sex. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to stop even when Rin asked him to, even when he knew what happened as a result of his actions. If Rin had asked him to do anything else, he would have done it, but he couldn't give up having sex.

"I already tell them before anything happens that I'm not looking for a relationship," he said firmly, or at least as firmly as he could manage when his voice was still so hoarse. "If they end up breaking their own hearts because of their feelings, it's not my fault," an empty argument he was tired of repeating, but this was the only thing he had left which could make him feel less guilty about his actions. Rin was evidently sick of listening to this argument as well, for she got off the chair and walked right over to him, her blue eyes narrowed and her hands placed on her narrow hips.

"Don't give me that crap. If you want to justify your actions, then at least come up with a better way to defend yourself," her tone was harsh. Len just pressed his lips together sullenly and kept quiet. Finally, Rin sighed and withdrew, letting her hands fall limp at her side. "Whatever. I've said this over and over again and you've never listened. I don't expect anything different this time," she said flatly. "I only came up here to wake you up because you have a visitor…Miku came over today. I don't know why since she didn't say what she's here for. Maybe she's concerned about you since you walked her home yesterday despite being sick, according to Mum. She really hopes you two are dating, you know," something almost like a grimace flashed across Rin's face. Len was pretty sure that Rin disapproved of him being linked in any way to her friend, but he and Miku didn't have anything going on now.

"Is she downstairs?" the moment Len heard Miku was in their house, he got up from the bed and smoothed his hair down, quickly changing out of his ratty tank top into a more acceptable shirt. He didn't bother to change his shorts to spare his sister's modesty – not that Rin would have cared, honestly. She looked at him the same way she would look at a lamp post. He could guess why Miku was here today…she had promised to try and finish the score by Sunday, so surely that was why she had come over. Len was actually surprised that she could finish rearranging the score so quickly.

"Yeah, she's waiting for you. I'll leave you to get ready first," Rin headed out, leaving him to change and freshen up in peace. However, right before she left the room, she glanced backwards with her eyes still narrowed and her expression grim. "She's a good girl, Len," Rin started, and for a moment Len was reminded of their mother. "I might not have known her for very long but she seems like she's genuinely nice and kind. So if you break her heart, Len, I will break your bones. Always keep that in mind."

With that, the blonde left his room, the door shutting quietly behind her. Len stared at the closed door for a while, thinking over his sister and what she said, but after a while, he just shrugged and went back to changing out of his sleeping clothes. Rin had nothing to worry about when it came to Miku. Len would try to seduce their neighbour, but if Miku was ultimately unmoved he wouldn't bother to continue either. Whether or not he actually got into any relationship with the girl was solely up to her discretion – if this failed, then he could always just find a new girl to sleep with.

* * *

"He'll be downstairs in a bit, he just woke up," Rin called from the staircase, hopping from step to step. Miku glanced up at her friend and smiled nervously, the score she had finished held tightly in her grasp. Rin's parents were nowhere to be seen today, and she wondered where they were.

"Did your parents go anywhere today?" she asked, curious. Rin just shrugged and came over to sit next to Miku, her gaze dropping towards what she had on her lap. Instinctively, Miku grabbed the score and pressed the papers against her chest, preventing anyone from reading it. Rin looked a little surprised at this but she didn't comment on Miku's behaviour, instead relaxing against the couch.

"Today? My father went to the office since he didn't do much work yesterday what with Len being sick and all. My mother went shopping with some of her friends in town, she'll be back in time for dinner," Rin frowned thoughtfully. "At least I think she went to town. Her plans always change at the last moment," the blonde grinned, her blue gaze dropping curiously once more to the papers Miku clutched so tightly. "Is that for Len?" she asked, tone neutral. Miku hesitated before nodding, and thankfully Rin didn't ask any other questions. She couldn't say much about this score since Len had made her promise not to tell anyone about it, not even her friends or family. "Well, I'm going up to my room to finish off my stupid history essay," Rin made a face. "If Len tries anything on you, then just holler real loud and I'll come right over. I'm not joking," she added when Miku laughed.

She sobered quickly, nodding to reassure her friend. Rin exhaled, looking over her worriedly. "You're new, you don't have any idea what Len can be like. I'd just tell you to watch out. He doesn't tell me much, but from what I hear he can be _quite_ the charmer. I have nothing against you two becoming friends, but just…don't give him the wrong impression," Rin warned her, holding her gaze for a few seconds before she rose from the couch and went up the stairs. As Miku watched Rin go up, she saw the blonde pause and mutter something angrily to another person on the staircase, probably Len.

Just like she thought, the male twin appeared at the top of the stairs just a moment later, his blond hair loose around his pale face. He still looked slightly unwell, but he was much better than he was yesterday. He was wearing a white shirt and grey sweatpants, and the colour of the sweatpants suddenly reminded her of the hoodie he made her wear last night. Against her will, her cheeks warmed a little and she had to look away as Len walked over to her, humming quietly to himself.

"I arranged the piece for you according to what I can remember," she started when Len sat on the other end of the couch, giving them two seats of space between them. "I shifted it to a major key and changed the overall piece to _allegretto_ instead of _andante_. And I changed the time signature to six-eight instead of three-four. I hope it's what you're looking for," she handed the sheets of paper over to him. Len took hold of the score almost reverently, leafing through the pages with his brow furrowed. She could hear him singing softly as he read the notes, and he was unsurprisingly pitch-perfect – if they ever sang together, Miku had no doubt that his voice would be easy to blend with.

"I think this might be close to what I want," he suddenly looked at her, his eyes feverish with barely concealed excitement. "I mean it's still lacking _something,_ I'm not sure what it is…but it just seems more right than the piece before was. Thank you so much – I don't know what to say…" his voice trailed off and they stared at each other for a while, neither one of them wishing to speak first. She fidgeted, twiddling her thumbs as his blue gaze continuously went from her face to the score. To be honest, she hadn't really quite remembered the melody of the song she heard in her youth, but she knew it was faster and livelier than what Len originally composed and thus arranged it to suit her memory better. She hadn't thought that her version would make Len so happy. He looked like he was being reunited with a long-lost friend, and she wondered _why_ he was so excited about this.

"Can we continue working together on this?" he suddenly asked, looking up from the last page of the score. Something like concern seemed to flit across his expression, but she blinked and the look was gone, and she was left wondering if she had imagined it. "It's just so close to what I had in mind. You know, maybe we could submit this for our final assignment and let it be used for the Music Festival," he seemed to brighten at the idea. "I mean, yes it's a very personal piece for me but…if we really manage to perfect it, then it doesn't need to be such a secret anymore. But I understand if you don't want to use this piece," he hastened to say when she frowned, opening her mouth. "We did already start talking about the other melody we wanted to use, so if you don't want to change…"

"I'm totally fine with using this piece if we succeed in arranging it to meet your standards," she reassured him quickly. Suddenly changing their final submission wasn't the problem, since they still had months to go and they had plenty of time before the due date. "It's just…well, what if we don't manage to complete the piece in time? We're just relying on our memories here, and my recollection isn't the best either," she hesitated. "I got lucky with this arrangement, but like you said it's not exactly what you wanted, right? It's just a little closer to the original melody than your own version. I think we should continue to work on our original idea. It'd be good to do both," she tugged on a lock of her hair awkwardly. "Since this piece is so upbeat, and our original plan was to have a moody, soft kind of melody, right?"

Len frowned, running his hand through his hair. "All right, that makes sense," he acknowledged her suggestion, staring down once more at the music score. "I'll look at it later and try it out on the piano, maybe we can tweak it a little. By the way, I actually started on the composition for our intended piece. I was thinking of using D minor and a one-two time signature with a pedal throughout but I was afraid that would make it sound _sort of_ like a waltz, so I wasn't sure if we wanted to go ahead with that. Do you want to see my draft?" he asked. She nodded, not quite paying attention to everything he was saying but aware that he had asked her a question. He rose from his seat and went up the stairs, presumably towards his room, and she just sat and waited.

Why was she spending so much time with Len nowadays? Fate seemed to draw the two of them together, and she couldn't understand why. She was always running into him even though she knew she should try to avoid him. On the last bus home from the inner city, at the nearby deli, being forced to babysit him by Rin, and now coming especially to his house just to pass him a score when she could have emailed it over. But she knew that she had to hand this to him personally. This was important to him, she could tell – she suspected that it was a lot more than just a nice piece of music to him or a work in progress like he claimed. In fact, she was sure it held significance for her too since she could sort of remember hearing this melody as well, but she couldn't recall it clearly either.

Either way, she really ought to be making more of an effort to avoid Len. But she wasn't, and that made her question herself. Why was she not running away despite seeing what the boy had done to poor Teto, and no doubt to countless other girls as well? She knew it was just the memory of him which kept her here, continuously drawn to his presence even though she was aware that it was all just a fragment of her childhood. That Len no longer existed and now he was someone who, if not for her childhood memories, she never would have gotten close to, not for anything in the world.

Maybe she was stupid. But something told her to wait and see, hoping that maybe the old Len would surface from the one who spoke to her now. How long would it take before that hope died out? She could not deny that when she flew back here she had been hoping to see Len again, and see if he still remembered her. It wouldn't have been surprising if he did not since they only knew each other for slightly more than a year before she moved away – but she hadn't expected him to forget her so entirely. It felt almost like an insult, actually. _Wait and see, wait and see_ , her sentimental thoughts whispered to her. She curled her fingers into fists. All right, she would wait for Len to fail her then – she knew that there was no retrieving the former boy from the cruel man he had grown to become.

"Here you go," a black folder was suddenly thrust in front of her and she jumped, eyes widening in shock. Len had returned while she was reminiscing her past, managing to sneak up on her while she was distracted. He gazed at her curiously, maybe wondering about her reaction to his words. "I've sort of come up with the first eight bars. Take a look and tell me what you think," he sat in his seat on the other end of the couch once more, waiting for her to look through his work. She took a deep breath and flipped the folder open, prepared to be awed by his compositions. Though she had seen better pieces, there was just something extremely raw and emotional about Len's music. It was as though you could hear the composer himself crying out through the black notes and solid lines.

Like what Len had mentioned – she remembered something about pedalling and one-two timing – it was a slow piece, moody and dramatic like what they had intended. She frowned, her fingers tracing over the arching slurs. There was nothing wrong with the music, but for some reason, it didn't sit that well with her. Then again, she was pretty biased against romantic pieces. "It's too much like a…like a ballad," she struggled to find the right word to describe the piece. "I think to impress the judges, we can't just throw in a sad melody with a typical slow tempo. I mean yes, this isn't exactly a waltz since the time signature isn't right, but it _feels_ like a waltz, a very slow waltz. Can't we compose a sad song with a quick beat?" she glanced up at Len, who was nodding away with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"We can try…it's not going to be as easy to do that, but it's not impossible," he mused. She took the chance to study him, comparing this to the first time she really noticed him in the library. Back then, with the red spectacles perched on his nose and his grave, thoughtful expression, he had seemed so stern and beautiful, like a statue chiselled from a slab of pure white marble. Now, he looked more haggard and worn, his hair was down and the dark circles under his eyes were a stark contrast against his pale skin, but she thought that it made him look more human, more approachable. He was still ridiculously handsome, but he wasn't as intimidating now as he was in the school library.

"You know one of your songs in the folder you showed me? The second last one?" he nodded, his gaze fixed intently on her. She swallowed and continued, struck by a sudden idea. "We could base our score on that. I mean, we don't use it exactly, but we come up with something else that would sound similar, but slower…an arrangement," she concluded, watching his face to see how he would react to the suggestion. She wasn't too sure if he would welcome the idea since this mysterious work in progress she was helping him with was an arrangement of his previous piece as well. To her relief, Len was rather receptive towards the idea, and he said he would try to get something done by next week. Miku then decided that she had spent enough time here with Len, and she rose to leave.

"Have you had lunch?" Len asked, noticing her rise from the couch and straighten her clothes, ready to leave his house. She blinked at him, startled by the question, and he ran his fingers through his hair again, his blue gaze darting away from her before returning just as quickly. "I was asleep the whole day and I just woke up a while ago, I don't know if Rin mentioned that to you. I haven't had anything to eat yet so I'm a little hungry," he shrugged. "It's okay if you already ate, but if you want to join me that would be nice," he smiled at her. It was a very small, nervous kind of smile.

Rin's warning about how charming Len could be suddenly popped into Miku's mind. Was he really nervous or was he just pretending to be shy so she would be swayed into spending more time with him? "Sure, we can go eat something. Why don't we invite Rin along?" she asked, deciding that she would feel a lot better about spending time with Len if his twin sister happened to be present too.

"She's busy, I don't think she'll want to leave the house until she's done with her assignment," Len shrugged again. "You're welcome to invite her if you want, but I wouldn't recommend interrupting Rin while she's working unless you're very sure you can survive her screaming fits," his lips quirked up into a tiny smirk as he reached out to the coffee table, pulling one of the drawers open. She glanced down at the table, her eyes drawn to his movements, and she saw him pull out an elastic red hair tie and put his blond hair up into that familiar ponytail before he closed the drawer.

Miku wasn't sure if Len was telling the truth or not. On one hand, it seemed very likely that he wasn't lying, but on the other hand, she still wasn't sure if she was all right with spending time alone with him. She could always decline the invitation and just leave right there, but she actually hadn't eaten lunch and it would be nice to have some company while she ate, even if it was Len…plus, her mind was still telling her to wait and see before passing judgement on Len so she was pretty curious about his offer. He couldn't do anything to her unless she allowed it anyway, so there was nothing for her to fear, right? "Fine, let's go eat then. Where do you want to have lunch?" she asked.

"I don't know if you've been to the outskirts of the suburb but there's a small Vietnamese restaurant there that serves excellent _pho_. Do you want to have that?" he asked, looking almost relieved when she agreed to eat with him. She nodded, wondering why he would react that way, and so they left the house in search of Len's Vietnamese restaurant. Much to her relief, he told her that it wasn't very far away from the deli they visited the day before. Her stomach could finally stop gurgling.

Miku kept a constant distance between them, always walking slightly behind Len. Len was fine with that, understanding that she still didn't feel that comfortable around him given her knowledge of his promiscuous ways. She might have apologised for her harsh words, but she clearly did not forgive him for what he did. He didn't expect her to and he hardly dared to think that they might ever become friends, but as long as this didn't affect their partnership and the quality of her work he was all right with it…for now. Eventually, he would aim for more – whether he wanted her friendship or just the sex, he still did not know – but for now, he was willing to give her the space she needed.

Soon enough, he spotted the restaurant and turned around to point it out to her. Miku glanced towards the small establishment, with its simple shopfront and the wooden sign with the name of the restaurant, 'Saigon Shanty' emblazoned on it in bold block letters. Despite the late hour, there were still people inside the restaurant, which was famous in this suburb for their beef noodles and their strong herbal broth. Len liked to eat here when he fancied something light and didn't mind walking further than he normally would. He guessed it would do wonders for him since he still wasn't feeling too good – he actually liked the herbal soup here, and it usually made him feel slightly better.

"Is it expensive?" Miku worried. She had her purse out and she was currently checking the amount of cash she had left. Len figured that she didn't have much since she was asking about the price. He wanted to tell her that he would pay for the meal, but knowing her she would most probably protest so he held his tongue. He would just ask for the bill later while she was distracted or something.

"No, it's not. It's only five dollars per bowl if you get their signature dish," he answered honestly. Miku nodded, looking relieved, and followed him quietly as he pushed the door to the restaurant open and slipped inside. Their server led them to a table and gave them a menu before going off to attend to other customers, and Len watched Miku pore over the menu with a look of concentration on her face. He already knew what he was going to order, so he didn't bother to look. "Do you need a recommendation?" he asked when she flipped to the back of the menu, sighing audibly.

Her green gaze darted up to meet his, startled. "I'm trying to decide between the beef or chicken noodles, or maybe the meatball ones…or maybe the glass noodles, I don't know," she flipped to the front of the menu again. He tried to hide his amused smirk. "I don't really like beef," she muttered to herself, "but the beef slices really look good here. I can't say the same for the chicken, but chicken hardly ever goes wrong while beef has so much room for mistakes. But the meatballs look amazing too. And should I get a drink? I _am_ kind of thirsty, but they charge for water!" she was talking to herself, but Len was quite amused by her rambling and just watched as she fussed over what to eat.

Their server came over. "Have you decided on your order?" she asked, a small notepad and wooden pencil in hand. She beamed at both of them, her brown hair tied into a bun with tendrils escaping to frame her face. She was a nice woman who looked surprisingly young for her age – Len had spoken to her before once or twice during off-peak hours, and he knew that she was a widow with two children and was working this job to support them. She was thirty-eight years old and her children were sixteen and twelve respectively. Her husband had died in a workplace accident eight years ago.

"Give me the noodles in herbal broth with beef slices, and the spring rolls," the woman was already scribbling down his order into the notepad. She knew what he wanted, he always ate the exact same thing when he came here and he came here often enough for her to remember his face. She turned towards Miku, who was still frustrated about what to eat. Miku glanced helplessly at Len, and he took that as an indication that he ought to order for her as well. "Just make it two bowls of the beef noodles, and add on one glass of cold barley," he told the server. The woman nodded and repeated their order, then she took the menus away, bustling off to submit their order to the kitchen.

"So the noodles are really that nice?" Miku asked, looking around the restaurant. The interior was rustic and plain just like the storefront. The tables were mostly round and made of white plastic. Everyone here sat on coloured stools, and on every single table, there was a set of condiments – soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, salt, sugar and chilli. There were also chopsticks, forks, spoons and paper napkins placed in metal containers next to the condiments. The floor beneath them was made of dark wood and it was always clean since there was always a cleaning lady who swept and mopped the floors once every few hours. The smell of herbs wafted through the air, making him hungry.

"I don't know what your definition of nice is, but I personally like the noodles," he answered, eagerly awaiting his spring rolls. It didn't take long to come – five minutes after Miku asked her question, his spring rolls were here, gently steaming. The crispy fragrance hit him and he inhaled, picking up a pair of chopsticks and biting into one of the rolls. He offered some to Miku, who hesitantly ate one as well, and he watched in satisfaction as her green eyes lit up in pleasure, the sweet yet savoury taste of the spring rolls flooding through her mouth. "It's good, isn't it? But the noodles and the herbal broth are even better," he declared, setting his chopsticks down. She was in the midst of taking another spring roll. "Later, you really need to finish the soup. It's good for you, they make the broth themselves every day," he informed her. She nodded, munching happily on her spring roll.

As Miku steadily demolished his plate, he let his gaze wander around the restaurant, taking note of who was in here today. There were three girls, none of which he recognised for they all seemed younger than him – Len never tried anything with girls who weren't his age at least. The three girls seated together looked like they were sixteen years old, and they kept glancing at him and giggling when he turned to look. He was aware that they were ogling him but he ignored it, used to receiving attention for his looks. They were too young to interest him so his attention continued to wander, only returning to Miku whenever she finished swallowing a mouthful and picked up another roll.

He saw their server come out from the kitchen with two bowls on her tray along with a tall glass of white, semi-transparent liquid. It had to be their food. Len sat straight up, craving his beef noodles and Miku noticed his change in posture, glancing towards the server as well. Her green eyes lit up with interest as their server approached them carefully, balancing the two heavy bowls on her tray. However, before she could reach them, Len noticed the door to the restaurant opening and looked around to see who was coming into the restaurant. His eyes widened in recognition and he groaned quietly to himself, hoping that the person wouldn't notice him and come over to talk or something.

Obviously, he wasn't that fortunate and their gazes met. The girl's red eyes widened in delight and she instantly made a beeline for his table. Len tried his very best to somehow become invisible but it didn't work, and then both he and Miku were looking at the new girl standing next to their table. The girl tossed her long silver hair over her shoulders, fluttering her eyelashes at Len while shooting Miku a dark glare. "Len! I thought you were avoiding me! I'm so glad to see you here," she giggled.

He smiled weakly. He _had_ been avoiding her, and for good reason. "It's nice to see you too, Tei," he couldn't bring himself to look at Miku though he could feel her green eyes burning a hole right through him. He thought that Sukone Tei had finally gotten over him months ago since she was no longer stalking him everywhere he went, but watching her beam at him now as though she was a child who had just rediscovered a lost favourite toy, he could tell that he was horribly wrong. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach – he had the feeling that this encounter was not going to end well.


	11. Chapter 11

Tei drew up a chair and sat next to him, fluttering her eyelashes the whole time she was gazing at him. She also ignored Miku completely – he didn't know if he should be grateful for that or not. He didn't want that lunatic to notice Miku, but it would be nice if she would stop staring at him so creepily with her blood red eyes. What had he ever done to have someone like Sukone Tei after him?

"You haven't been replying my messages and you don't pick up my calls anymore," the silver haired creep pouted, sounding hurt. "I've been trying to locate you for ages but it's like you disappeared off the face of the Earth! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" her voice rose slightly, sounding almost hysterical now. He looked around nervously, hoping that she wouldn't attract the attention of the patrons here. Their server was staring at them oddly, and he tried to ignore the look she gave him. She was still holding on to their tray of noodles, but she had stopped walking over to them. Miku was looking confusedly between him and Tei, and he knew he would probably have to explain everything to her later.

"I…uh, changed my phone number," he lied. "I don't have my number now, my twin sister um, she borrowed my phone and I haven't memorised my new number yet so I can't give it to you," Tei just sighed in resignation and shifted her chair a little closer to him. He leant away, not wanting her to be too near to him. She was like a persistent cockroach – whenever he thought she had finally stopped bothering him, she would surface from nowhere and cling on to him once more. How was he going to shake her off this time? She would probably insist on trying to follow him home too, and if she found out where he lived then everything was over. He would never have another day of peace.

"I don't see you at your school very often either," Tei continued, the hysteria in her voice becoming more like a whine. "I do drop by quite often but I've never been able to catch you! I found your twin sister but she always told me she didn't know where you were," she twirled some of her long silver hair around her fingers. Len exhaled quietly in relief – thank goodness his twin was covering for him. Although Rin blamed him for getting himself into such a twisted situation in the first place, she at least didn't throw him to Tei and leave him to fend for himself. Probably because Rin could tell, from the very first time she met his stalker, that Tei was weird and that it was best to have as little to do with her as possible. Len had actually gone for eight months without seeing her, which was a new record for him. It helped that Tei lived in the city itself and didn't attend the same school as him.

"What are you doing here, Tei?" he didn't respond to what she said, instead abruptly changing the topic. "Here's a little far for you, isn't it?" their server finally came over with the two bowls of beef noodles, and she set each bowl down before him and Miku respectively. Miku thanked the server quietly and the woman left their table, turning back to glance at them once more. Wordlessly, Miku took a pair of chopsticks and tucked into her noodles, not paying him and Tei any attention. Len didn't eat yet, having lost some of his appetite when Tei appeared before him. He really hoped that Miku didn't think he and Tei had any kind of relationship because that was just plain disturbing.

"Oh, I was walking around town today and I was awfully bored since I didn't have anything to do," Tei shrugged, "so I decided to come here and look for you again! I know you're living around here somewhere, Len," she let out a high-pitched giggle which made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. " _Something_ , I guess you could call it instinct, told me to come into this shop for a late lunch and guess what! You're here! I suppose you could call it fate," Tei cooed, fluttering her eyelashes once more. Len just gave her a strained smile and pulled his bowl over, reaching out for his chopsticks.

Tei intercepted and took a pair for him, her hand lingering near his when she passed them to him. He tried to resist a shudder and tucked into his noodles, unable to fully enjoy his meal as he felt those red eyes staring at him the whole time he was eating. Of all the days he had to run into his stalker…why couldn't it have been when he was alone, at least? Sukone Tei was Len's dirty little secret. The only other person who knew about Tei was his sister, though he assumed that Mizki might sort of know about his stalker as well – not that the brash idiot ever mentioned anything about the silver haired psycho. Tei was probably some form of divine retribution for all the things he did, though she alone wasn't really enough to make him stop. As long as he continued sleeping around, Tei continued to chase after him. She was incredibly, frustratingly persistent about it too.

"Shouldn't you be getting home? Your parents might worry about where you've gone if you're just wandering around like that," he didn't know how else to chase her away. Miku was still quietly eating her noodles. He wanted to ask her how she found her meal, but he was nervous about drawing any attention to her – Tei was extremely possessive of him despite them not having any real relationship, and she couldn't stand it when he talked to another girl unless the girl was his sister. Of course, Tei didn't actually do anything to those girls she caught him speaking to besides glower at them and sometimes trip them over in public or something, but he didn't want to tempt her into doing anything drastic. There was no telling how far Tei would go. The girl was quite clearly insane.

Tei giggled again. It was scary actually, watching her laugh with her eyes the colour of blood and her long, ghostly silver hair. "Are you worried about me?" she asked, biting her lip. Her eyes were wide in her thin face, so big that they were almost buggy. "Oh, but of course you're worried, what am I saying? You like me, don't you?" she tilted her head, expecting a reply. Len hesitated. He glanced across at Miku, who had finally stopped eating her noodles and was watching the both of them talk, her green eyes alight with curiosity. He didn't want to lie, but if he didn't lie then Tei would never leave. And he was already tired of being around her. He had come here to enjoy his meal in peace and maybe talk to Miku about their work, but he knew he couldn't do that with Tei hanging around.

"I'm concerned for you," he finally answered. That seemed to satisfy the girl, who just laughed to herself and went back to silently watching him eat his noodles. She was still treating Miku as though she was completely invisible, but Miku didn't seem to mind that. He carried on eating his noodles, glancing at Tei every so often to see what she was doing – she would always be observing him, and he would wonder what she was thinking. He didn't understand the mind of a lunatic like her. How did she manage to delude herself into believing that he felt anything for her? Certainly he did feel some way about her, but it wasn't what she wanted. Len was borderline terrified of Tei, actually.

"You should really go," he finally paused and spoke when he could no longer stand the thick tension at the table – he felt like prey being eyed by a hungry predator, and it was making him so nervous that the usually flavourful noodles now tasted like cardboard. Or maybe that was just because he was sick. He wouldn't know which one it was until Tei finally left him alone. "It's not convenient for us to be together now…I need to run some errands for my mother after this, so I have to travel to a lot of places. It'll be very tiring for you," he lied. Tei lit up when he spoke to her, her red eyes filled with obvious excitement – Len winced, thinking that he could probably insult her and she would still gaze at him with that same look of adoration. Why did she keep clinging on to him, wasn't it obvious already that he didn't enjoy her company? Her obstinacy had to be a result of her self-delusion.

"It's all right, I'd love to do errands with you! Anything done with you is fun, Len," she exclaimed, clapping her hands joyously. Len groaned internally, still wondering about how to shake her off. Miku was done with her noodles and she placed her chopsticks on the bowl, having drank about half of the soup. He wanted to ask her how she found the herbal broth, but was still afraid of directing Tei's attention towards her. Miku was innocent here and he didn't want to drag her into his mess.

"Okay, if you want to help me…would it be okay if you went to the city to get…tacos for me?" he hastily came up with something for her to do. Tei sat at rapt attention, hanging on to every word he said. "You know the Mexican place near the Avalon nightclub in town?" the nightclub was all the way at the far end of town, and it would take Tei quite a while to get there. Tei nodded, and Len forced himself to smile. "Well, I've been craving tacos from there lately. It'd be great if you could get me some, but…it's all right if you don't want to, you don't need to go all the way there and back," he sincerely prayed that Tei wouldn't run to town and come all the way back just for tacos. Surely even she wouldn't be that stupid. But Tei nodded and rose from the table, looking extremely determined.

"I'll do anything that makes you happy! I'll take the next bus out of town and be back with your tacos right away," she shot out of the restaurant before he could say a single word in response, and both he and Miku stared at the girl as she popped out of the shop, the door swinging shut behind her. For a while, neither one of them said a single word. He continued to eat his noodles, quickly slurping them up now that Tei wasn't around. When he was done, he patted his mouth dry with one of the paper napkins and raised his hand for their server, asking for the bill. Miku hastily drew her wallet out but he beat her to it, passing the server two ten dollar notes and telling her to keep the change as her tip. Then he rose from his stool and left the small shop, Miku following him hastily.

When they were a safe distance away from the shop, Len stopped walking so quickly, allowing himself to slow down and take deep breaths to relax. Miku finally caught up to him, her breathing a little faster than normal but otherwise perfectly fine. "I'll pay you back for the noodles and the barley drink," she promised, but Len shook his head and waved it off. She sighed. "You can't just keep paying for me, you know. I mean, it's a very nice thing to do but…I don't feel right just letting you pay," she argued.

"Just take it, Miku. You're one of the only people I know who would feel bad about letting someone else pay," he deadpanned, turning around to look at her. She gazed up at him, her brow furrowed – he wondered what she was thinking, but it was a different sort of wondering compared to when he thought about Tei. He knew Tei was crazy and he simply couldn't believe how differently her mind functioned compared to his. But for Miku, he was genuinely curious about the thoughts which were running through her head. Why was she so unlike any other girl he had ever met before? But how different she was made it interesting, of course. Things got boring when everything went his way.

"Who's that girl?" she finally asked, like how he had expected her to ask. He remained silent for a while, wondering how he ought to phrase it. A few answers popped into his head, 'crazed lunatic' and 'obsessive psychopath' being two examples, but he didn't want to shock Miku. Finally, he decided that he ought to just start from the beginning even if the whole issue was rather sensitive.

"Sukone Tei...okay, I admit that I slept with her once," he exhaled. "It was back when I was sixteen years old, and I was really stupid. I just started out with all this," he waved his hand vaguely, "and I thought that it was really fun, playing around with girls and all. It was a good distraction, you know?" he felt uncomfortable saying all this in front of Miku when he knew that she adamantly opposed his ways, but she just continued listening to him with a neutral look on her face. He was secretly relieved that she wasn't already judging him or pointing fingers. "Back then I was a real flirt. I _liked_ to chase girls and make them fall in love with me. Of course, most of them realised after a while that I wasn't being serious and that I never claimed to return their feelings – even back then I was very careful about pretending to like anyone. But Tei was the only one who took it so far…" he shuddered.

"What do you mean by taking it so far?" she asked, tilting her head. He looked around nervously, half-expecting the silver haired menace to pop up at any moment, before he started to walk and gestured to Miku to follow him. She fell into step beside him and they remained silent all the way to her house. He was actually prepared to continue walking on to his own house since he figured she would be more comfortable about visiting his house – which had Rin in it – rather than the two of them being alone in hers. But she stopped him before he could continue walking. "Come on in, you already know where I live anyway," she gave him a sideways glance, standing at the front door and waiting for him. Hesitantly, Len retraced his steps back towards her house, and she let him inside.

"I don't pretend to empathise with you now. If you have problems with this girl because of all your fooling around, then you honestly deserve it," she added as she closed the door behind him, turning the lock. "But just continue with your story. I'm guessing that you're trying to avoid her and that you didn't really want tacos when you asked her to go get them for you," a small, reluctant smile stole across her face. He shrugged – she was right, he didn't see a need for him to confirm what she said.

"Tei is…I don't know, I think she's delusional actually," he followed her into the living room, sitting on her black leather couch. She popped into the kitchen and came out with two cups of water, passing him one. "Thanks," he added, holding on to the cup and taking a sip. The soup had made him thirsty, something he hadn't realised until he saw the water. She nodded and sat in the armchair next to the couch, waiting for him to continue. "I only slept with her once," he repeated, "and it all happened after I met her at a nightclub. I was drunk and she was obviously attracted to me so I thought to myself, why the hell not? But after I gave her my number and went on my way, she became obsessed. She sent me texts everyday telling me that she loved me and she tried very hard to follow me around on weekends. I felt so suffocated that I told her less than a week later that I didn't think we should meet anymore. She threatened to kill herself. She sent me a video of herself with a gun to her head, saying that if I didn't come back to her she would blow out her brains and I'd have it on my conscience for the rest of my life. From then on, everything just went downhill."

Miku raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure, given your methods, that this isn't the first time some girl has said she would kill herself if you didn't return to her," her tone was a little harsh. He winced, and she softened when she noticed. "All right, I didn't mean to phrase it that way. What I meant was that you must have encountered this sort of situation before. What makes this girl any different?"

Len's mind went blank. Indeed, why was Sukone Tei different? It was probably the way she went to such extremes – before she threatened to commit suicide, she literally stalked him everywhere he went. He had no idea how he managed to prevent her from finding out where he lived, but she did know where he attended school, which was bad enough. He always brushed off the other suicide threats, thinking that the girls wouldn't be that stupid – he barely even knew them, and he didn't believe that they really loved him. But Tei might be telling the truth. Tei was obsessed, she went to incredible lengths to get what she wanted, and he feared that if he really rejected her, she would kill herself. He had little doubt that she would leave behind some message blaming him for her death too, and then he would be questioned by the police or have to deal with a slew of legal troubles.

"You don't know what she's like," he finally said, meeting Miku's gaze. Her green eyes were sharp, knowing and intense. He could feel her looking at him, looking right through him. "The other girls couldn't possibly have loved me. The ones who said they would hurt themselves, I mean. I could just sort of tell that they weren't serious, at least most of them weren't," he hesitated. "But Tei is. She's perfectly serious. If you look for long enough into her eyes you can see the spark of lunacy flickering there, almost perfectly hidden. I don't know why she isn't in an asylum or if she's undergoing any psychiatric treatment. I tried to file a restraining order before, but the police said they couldn't process it since she wasn't exactly _harassing_ me. She never threatened to hurt me, only herself."

"Does she know that you sleep around with other girls?" Miku asked, jumping so abruptly to this new topic and he was stunned speechless for a while. She had her hands placed on her lap, one leg crossed over the other. Her back was ramrod straight and she hardly blinked while she waited for him to answer – he suddenly felt like a little child again, answering to his discipline mistress.

"She's probably aware, but she chooses not to acknowledge it," he shook his head. "If you ever see her again, don't approach her. She's noticed you with me and that doesn't bode well for you. When she sees me talking to girls who aren't Rin, she…tries to get even with them in her own petty way. The most I've ever seen her do was to scrawl graffiti outside someone's house but that doesn't mean she's incapable of doing more. So please just be careful around her," he paused. "If you see her, then just get away from there and tell me. I'll deal with her and make her leave. She's going to be around here a lot more now that she actually found me…it takes her a few months before she stops dropping by all the time."

"Are you being nice to her because you pity her or because you fear her?" Miku looked away from him when she asked this question, staring at the two cups of water they had placed on her coffee table. He took a while to ponder over this question. That was not something he had ever thought about before – why he still forced himself to smile and entertain her instead of yelling at her to just get out of his face. Was it because he was scared of her and what she would do to the people around him? Len wasn't altruistic – he didn't want Tei's death on his hands, but if she really annoyed him enough then he was sure that he'd do nothing even when she really killed herself.

Or was it just because he pitied her? He didn't know very much about Sukone Tei. He knew she had a younger brother whose name was Teiru, she lived in the city and attended a school that was in another suburb, but besides that he didn't really know anything else. She was the same age as him, but that was about all he knew – he knew nothing about her family background besides the fact that she had a brother and he didn't know how she always had the free time to search for him on weekends. He didn't even know if she hung out with normal people or if she was just some weird outcast everyone avoided in school. How could he possibly pity someone if he knew nothing about them?

"I don't know," he finally answered. "I'm scared of her somewhat, but I'm more scared of what she will do to my friends than what she will do to me. It doesn't matter what happens to me because I know she won't ever hurt me – she loves me too much," his tone went sour here. "Maybe I pity her. I pity her for being so obsessed with a boy, especially with someone like me. Honestly, she could do better. She could be obsessed with someone who went to her school, at least. It'd make things easier for her. I've already told her before that I'm not interested in her but it's like she selectively tunes it out. She only listens to what she wants to hear otherwise she just flies off the handle. I've given up on trying to convince her that I don't have any feelings for her. Now I just avoid her."

"What does Rin think of her?" this was starting to feel like an interrogation, but he was surprisingly talkative today. He wondered if Miku had slipped something into his drink, but that was stupid. There was no commercial truth serum or anything – and besides, did truth serums even exist? Maybe it was just the fact that he could finally confide in someone besides Rin about Sukone Tei. Miku could clearly handle the news about his insane stalker. She didn't even seem that surprised about it, to tell the truth. "Rin knows about Tei, right?" Miku added when he continued to stare at her, not saying anything. He shook himself at the sound of her voice. He had to stop zoning out like that.

"She thinks Tei is crazy. But what else could she think?" Len shrugged. "Yeah, she did latch on to me because of my actions, but she's taking it too far. You can't deny that," he pointed out. Miku just sighed and leant back in her armchair, closing her eyes. She looked like she was thinking hard about something, and he took the chance to study the way her eyelashes curled upwards. She had long, dark teal eyelashes, so long that they cast shadows against the pale skin of her cheeks.

"I still think that all this happened as a result of you being stupid, but I'll keep your warning in mind. If I see Tei around I'll let you know," she promised, opening her eyes and reaching out for her cup of water. He hastily averted his gaze so that she wouldn't notice how he was staring at her. "You know, I really do wonder – if you know that this is the kind of thing that might happen as a result of you sleeping around, then why do you still do it? Aren't you scared at all about the consequences? Like what if you get someone pregnant, or what if you contract some sort of disease?" she peered at him as she drank from her cup, her droopy puppy eyes filled with innocent curiosity. She didn't seem like she was being judgemental – she just wanted to know why he chose to do everything that he did.

Should he tell her? Definitely not about the feelings he had for his twin sister, but at least about the other things. He had told her that time on the bus that he used sex as a method of distracting himself, and she just retorted with a comment on how there were so many other ways of relieving stress that didn't involve unhealthy decisions or other people. It was obvious that she didn't accept his answer, since she was now asking him again why he was doing all this. But how could he respond? He barely knew himself. It just started when he was sixteen years old, and then it…it became a habit of sorts.

"I already told you before, it makes me forget about how shitty my life is," he reached out for his cup too, which he had placed on the table after draining half the contents. "You didn't believe me then, so whatever I say now you probably won't believe me either…" he finished the rest of the water, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. She didn't say anything, still holding her cup up to her lips, and he knew that she was waiting for him to tell her something. He sighed in resignation.

"Okay, so I lost my virginity when I was sixteen years old. Believe it or not, that time I wasn't the one who initiated it. I was at a party with my friends and a senior asked me if I wanted to sleep with her. Back then if you could sleep with a senior, you were cool, you know? So I decided to just give it a shot," he began, deciding that it would be good to start from the beginning. "I had no idea what I was doing, but it felt so good that I just went back to it over and over again, and a year after that I was hooked onto having sex. And those girls I slept with were pretty much addicted to it as well. So I just continued since it had already become a habit, and it didn't seem like it was hurting anyone. I'm careful, and I screen myself once every few months. I'm always clean," he shrugged casually.

"So are you saying that the only reason why you keep sleeping around is because of habit?" she lowered the cup, narrowing her eyes at him. Len fidgeted, uncomfortable with her piercing stare, but when she phrased it like that…it did sound uncomfortably like his situation. Well he did enjoy sex most of the time too, it was just…he never bothered to stop since he was already so used to the situation he had got himself into. "Bad habits can be broken too, you know?" she continued, running the tip of her index finger around the rim of her cup. He wanted to tune her out because of how much she seemed to preach, but he also knew that there was truth in what she was saying to him.

"I'll think about it when I have an incentive to break the habit," he said dully, raking his fingers through his hair and brushing his fringe away from his eyes. She looked thoughtful when he said that, her finger still circling the rim of her cup. Then her eyes lit up with some bright idea and he sat up, wondering what she had thought of. He was curious about how she intended to remedy his situation. Miku took a surprising amount of interest in his personal life, even if he really was being a horrible person and she opposed everything he was doing. Why was she so adamant about changing him and getting him to stop his bad habits? No one else cared. Why did this new girl care then?

"You asked me before if we could be friends, like proper friends, instead of just partners in a music project or…or acquaintances because we both know your sister. And I told you that I'd think about it if you stopped sleeping around. What if I say now that I'm serious about that offer?" she finally set her cup aside, a small smile on her face. He found himself following the curve of her lips, watching those full pink lips moving as she spoke to him. "If you stop fooling around with all these girls then I'll be your friend. I have no idea why you would want to be friends with me," she shrugged, "but if you asked me about this then I guess…I guess this would work as some sort of incentive, right?"

His own lips quirked upwards. It seemed that Miku was full of strange ideas. "I guess it would," he said honestly. Sleeping around had become very routine anyway. Maybe it would be good to change things up every once in a while. It wouldn't hurt him not to sleep around for a while – after all it wasn't that he was addicted to sex, it was just something that he was so used to doing that he never bothered to stop. "So if I tell you that I'm not answering any messages from girls and I never respond to their invitations for me to go over to their house, then you'll be friends with me?" she nodded. He snorted. "How are you supposed to keep track of me anyway? It's not like you'll know even if I lie."

She hesitated. It was obvious that she hadn't thought that far ahead yet. Then suddenly she relaxed, her features softening noticeably. She smiled again, a friendlier smile than before. "If you were really my friend then you wouldn't lie to me," she pointed out, "so if you want to be a true friend of mine then you wouldn't lie when I asked you about what you're doing." Well, her logic made sense. He'd give her proposal a try then. Maybe this would work in his favour if he really wanted to seduce her, like he originally intended to do. If they became friends first then surely she would be more likely to fall for him, right? That was if he played his cards right and didn't end up being friend-zoned, of course.

"All right, you've got yourself a deal," he grinned at her and Miku returned the smile warmly. She leant over to the couch and stuck out her pinkie finger, and he stared down at it in surprise, wondering what she wanted him to do. She waved her finger in his face, and hesitantly he looped his own pinkie around hers, uncertain if that was what she had wanted. She laughed softly then pulled away from him, and suddenly he remembered doing the exact same thing when he was a child, a pinkie promise to never leave… _a promise with who_? He couldn't remember. Then the memory faded. "A pinkie promise, huh?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Aren't we both a little too old for that?"

"You're never too old for a pinkie promise," she retorted, sweeping some of her long teal hair over her shoulder. It felt nice to be bantering with her this way instead of her just glowering at him all the time. Okay, she didn't glower, she just stared at him in disappointment most of the time. "I really hope you can stop," she added, frowning a little. "It's not good for you, you know. I mean it might feel good but it doesn't…it's not healthy for the girls you fool around with. I don't know anything about sex but I'm sure that it's not healthy for you either," her gaze dimmed as she spoke.

"I know," he stayed quiet for a while. Then he rose from the couch and held a hand out to her. She looked at him curiously. "Since you're a friend now, do you want to come over for dinner? My mother would be delighted if you could join us. She always cooks on weekends, and I can say that you're missing out on a lot if you don't try her cooking," he hoped that she would come. His mother would probably assume that Miku was his girlfriend at this point, and though that wasn't true he felt that having Miku form a closer relationship with his family would only help him with his goals.

She hesitated. Her green gaze flitted between his face and his waiting hand, obviously thinking about whether or not she ought to go. After a few agonising seconds, she finally took hold of his hand and he helped her get up from the armchair. Her skin was warm and soft, her fingers slender – he almost felt disappointed about having to let go, but he knew that feeling this way would be just plain stupid. She brushed herself down, suddenly looking very self-conscious. Then she smiled nervously at him.

"I'll come. Should I bring something for your family? Should I cook something too before going?" she worried. "It seems rude to just barge in without bringing anything – I mean, it's such short notice…" her words trailed off and she looked towards her kitchen. Len just touched her on the shoulder, a light and quick touch to catch her attention – she jumped, meeting his gaze once more.

"Don't worry so much, my mother would be glad to see you. I'm certain of that. And Rin would be pleased too," he tilted his head towards her front door. "Shall we go then? It's going to be evening soon, and I bet my mother's already home from her outing earlier," he mentioned. She nodded, and so they set off, him fidgeting the whole time they were walking towards his place – for some reason, he was nervous about Miku meeting his family. He knew that they already met last night, but there was some nagging doubt in him that asked if he really wanted to become so deeply involved with her. He had never spent so much effort trying to obtain a girl's affections before. Why was he even doing all this? Miku was the only female _friend_ his parents had ever met, and the two of them weren't even in a relationship. She was just his friend…but he had _never_ brought any girls home before. His parents would never believe him if he claimed that they weren't together.

He shut the doubts away. He was eighteen years old this year, he knew what he was doing. He had convinced himself that it would be fun to go after Miku since she was such a disruption to his usual mundane life, so he would follow through with that. He wasn't going to back down from his own plans, not when he was already in so deep.


	12. Chapter 12

When Miku stepped inside Len's house, she didn't know what to expect. The interior of the living room was still very familiar to her, since she had been here just last night. It didn't look very much different from yesterday either – save for the fact that Rin was now lounging on the couch.

The blonde glanced at the door when they came in and instantly sat up when she saw Miku with her brother. "Hey, Miku! What are you doing here?" she called, her voice filled with surprise. "Did Len invite you over for dinner?" her blue gaze flitted across to her brother, who was busy locking the door behind him – Miku saw Rin's eyes narrow for a while before she looked back at her and smiled. Miku nodded in response to the question, and Rin bounced off the couch, looping her arm through hers and steering her away from Len. "That's great, I bet Mum would love to see you," she gushed.

"I feel a little bad, just coming in without any notice," Miku said awkwardly, stumbling as Rin pulled her over to the couch. Len sidled along behind them, his hands in his pockets. He seemed a lot more relaxed now that he was safe at home, where Sukone Tei probably wouldn't be able to find him. The whole time they were in public, even when they were in her house, Len had seemed very tense. She hadn't failed to notice the wariness in his gaze and how strained his smiles appeared to be.

"Don't worry about it, our mother hasn't even started cooking," Rin said dismissively. She turned towards Len, who was now leaning against the back of the couch and listening to them. "Mum is up in her room, why don't you go upstairs and tell her that you invited Miku over for dinner?" the girl suggested. Len rolled his eyes in what seemed to be reluctance and dragged himself away from the couch, climbing up the stairs. When the boy disappeared, Rin turned towards her with all traces of good humour gone from her face, her vivid blue eyes suddenly becoming intensely serious.

"Miku, _please_ tell me you're not interested in Len," she whispered almost beseechingly. Miku blinked at the statement – she didn't see how she was behaving as though she had any interest in the boy at all. In fact, this couldn't be any further from the truth. She knew that Len wasn't anyone she was familiar with, at least not anymore, so she wasn't interested in him since he was practically a stranger to her. She knew a lot about him, more than he himself was aware of, but that wasn't enough to make her fall for him or anything. She couldn't feel romantically for him while he was still this person who toyed around with girls. Unless he really proved he could change, then maybe…

"I'm not," she answered automatically, watching Rin carefully. Rin seemed almost upset, her hands reaching up to grip her shoulders. The blonde's fingers tightened slightly at that response, and the two of them stared at each other for a while – then finally, Rin let out a sigh of something that sounded like suspiciously like relief and let go of Miku. Miku was curious – Rin seemed to care a little too much about her relationship with Len, and she wanted to know why. "What's wrong, Rin?" she asked, probing gently. The blonde averted her gaze for a while, as though she was thinking hard.

A few seconds passed before Rin finally looked back up at her. "Len never told me himself about his preferred pastime," she said, her voice flat. Suddenly, all the life seemed to have gone out of her. "What I tell you now, you have to promise you won't tell anyone else, okay? It's a secret and I don't want anyone other than you to know. I don't want any of my friends getting close to Len," she fixed her with an unblinking gaze, and Miku nodded quickly, feeling a little nervous about what Rin might say. Rin took a deep breath. "I had a best friend once. We were friends since middle school, and we were really close…you know Len and I are twins, but after grade school we just sort of drifted a little, and we found new friends," Rin was tracing circles across her palm with her index finger. "Last year, when we were all seventeen years old, she was seduced by Len – I mean, he didn't know she was my best friend then, he just knew we were _friends_ but not like, _best_ friends. And then…" Rin fell silent.

Miku was intrigued. "What happened?" she asked, prompting her for a response. Rin just shook her head mutely and glanced back towards the staircase – Miku could now hear the thump of feet against wood and saw two people descending the stairs. Rin placed a finger against her lips and got off the couch, bounding over to their mother. Miku followed, albeit hesitantly, and the older woman stopped and stared at Miku as though she was a new alien species. Miku smiled hesitantly.

"Oh, you really came for dinner!" Rin's mother suddenly gushed, rushing down the stairs to hug her tightly – Miku blinked in surprise as she was enveloped by warm arms and a head full of light blonde hair. She just laughed nervously and returned the hug, glancing helplessly at the twins – Rin just grinned back at her, while Len looked away with his arms folded across his chest, whistling softly to himself. The woman pulled away from her. "Oh, you are so thin, you must eat more tonight," she fussed over Miku, brushing down her clothes and draping her teal hair over her shoulders. "I see that Len is not feeding you enough. It's terrible," she tutted, "I didn't raise you to be so inconsiderate!" she directed those words towards Len.

"Mum, I already told you that she's not my girlfriend," Len rolled his eyes and unfolded his arms, coming down the last few steps towards his mother. "Stop it, you're scaring her," he added, noticing Miku's look of panic – his mother was now lightly pinching Miku's cheek as she commented on how thin the girl was. "What's on the menu for dinner tonight?" he added, hoping to distract his mother.

It worked. His mother stepped away from Miku, finally leaving the poor girl alone. "Let's see, I have some chicken thighs left in the fridge and some spaghetti with mushroom sauce. Probably just plain pasta with chicken," she decided, glancing around at Miku. "Next time, if you want to come over for dinner just let me know! I'll get more food so that we can have a real feast," she promised. Miku nodded quickly, a smile still on her face. He could tell it was forced – how he knew, he wasn't sure, but he could just tell. He wondered if she was scared of his mother – she could be quite intimidating.

She wasn't intimidating appearance wise – his mother reminded him of a bird, delicate and dainty, always fluttering off elsewhere, her attention difficult to retain. But she could be extremely open and generous, and that seemed to frighten people. Maybe it was because of the society they lived in, where it was suspicious to be too nice or too kind. People would suspect that something was wrong, or they would try to take advantage of that kindness. His mother was someone who would smother affection onto anyone she approved of, and she clearly seemed to like Miku.

He was glad she liked Miku. Miku wasn't his girlfriend, that was true, but it was good to see that she was getting along well with his family members. It would be a terrible thing if his parents pulled him to a corner and started quietly questioning his taste in friends. His parents liked Kaito and Piko as well, so he hadn't wanted Miku to be any different. "I'd love to come over again," Miku promised his mother, that strained smile suddenly becoming shy. His mother made a sound of delight before she took hold of Miku again and pulled her towards the kitchen, Rin following them closely. He chose to stay behind in the living room, not wanting to see three women fussing over food and vegetables.

Len sat on the couch, thinking to himself. His father wasn't home – he had gone to work, and they didn't expect him back till slightly later in the evening. His mother would set some food aside for his father, no doubt. He wondered what his friends were doing now…Kaito was probably at home playing video games since that was pretty much all he ever did, and he knew Piko would be doing the exact same thing if it weren't for the play the Council had to organise next week…

His eyes widened at that thought. Rei had asked him for the fairy lights – how could he have forgotten? Hastily, he got off the couch and shot up the stairs towards the piano room, where he had stored the lights he borrowed from Kaito since neither one of them knew what to do with those lights. Kaito had not wanted them back and Len didn't particularly want them either, but he thought they might be important for something in the future and so he kept them. And then he completely forgot about their existence. He drew his phone out upstairs, scrolling all the way to the missed calls from a few days ago – he found Rei's number and right before he pressed call, he hesitated.

For some reason, he felt antsy about calling Rei. He couldn't quite explain why – he just didn't really want to interact with the raven haired Council Vice President. Len had nothing against the boy – he was genuinely friendly and humorous, and he had never done Len any wrong. So why was he so uncertain about calling him? The Council needed the useless fairy lights that neither he nor Kaito wanted in order to save one of Piko's stupid blunders. So why was he hesitating about this call? He knelt down towards the box where the fairy lights were kept, opening the box to glance inside – none of the lights were broken, and he remembered that these were plain white lights with no funny colours involved. There were one or two pink ones also if he remembered right. That was what the Council needed, wasn't it? He double checked Rei's text to confirm this, nodding to himself.

Taking a deep breath, he called Kagene Rei, holding the box open as the phone rang. After a few rings, Rei picked up. "Hey Len," Rei sounded a little out of breath, for some reason. "What's up? Oh, do you have the fairy lights?" he added, his tone becoming slightly more anxious. Len glanced down at the box again before making a small noise of assent. He could practically feel Rei grinning. "That's great. Is it okay if I come over now to pick them up? We really need to arrange the lights around the venue as soon as possible, and I happen to be in school now…your house is pretty nearby, isn't it?"

He almost said no. He didn't want Rei coming over – the only people who ever came to his house were Rin's friends or his friends, making it Kaito, Piko, Mizki and Luka most of the time. And Miku too, of course. But he reminded himself that the Council needed these fairy lights and it was Piko's fault that they were in such a mess right now. Besides, if Luka found out that he told Rei he couldn't come over to get the lights, she would probably go ballistic or something. Luka was the calm, careful President of the Student Council, whose cool demeanour concealed a nasty temper and a tendency to flare up at those who made her life difficult. He certainly didn't want to be on her bad side.

"Okay, you can come. How long will it take before you reach here? Wait, do you even know _exactly_ where I live?" he asked quickly, glancing up at the clock on the wall. It would be half past six soon, and he didn't want Rei to ring the doorbell while they were all having dinner. His mother didn't normally start making dinner until seven, but still…just in case. He wanted Rei to come over and collect what he needed as quickly as he could. There was silence from the other end of the phone.

"I think I do," Rei finally said, sounding uncertain. "Piko told me once that you lived a few streets away. Why don't you just text me your address and I'll find my way over? I should be there soon, I just had some last-minute basketball training with some juniors. I need to lock up the school gym and take a quick shower then I'll be right over. Give me…half an hour, forty minutes max. Thanks, Len!" Rei sounded grateful. Before Len could say anything in response, the line went dead and he stared at his phone for a while, wondering why Rei was just so…nice to everyone. How was it that someone could be so genuine? He didn't understand that, but then again he wasn't a nice person.

He tapped out his address and sent it to Rei, before sliding his phone into his pocket and hoisting up the box of fairy lights. It would be better if he could bring them downstairs so that he could pass the box to Rei at the door, instead of the boy having to come inside his house and go up the stairs just to collect it. The box wasn't heavy anyway. Carefully, making sure he didn't trip or anything, he went back down the staircase and left the box next to the front door, glad to finally get rid of the fairy lights. The box had been gathering dust for a while, and he never bothered to do anything with it.

"Len?" he turned when he heard Miku's voice. She had just come out from the kitchen and she appeared to be a little unsure of what to do now. "Your mum's cooking smells great," she added, approaching him. He just shrugged – he knew his mother cooked well, he had been eating what she made since he was young, after all. Miku stopped a little distance in front of him and they both just said nothing for a while, the silence between them almost awkward. They had nothing much in common besides a love for music, so when it came to casual conversation with Miku he was at a loss for words. Other girls he could talk to because the ones who approached him were generally interested in sex, parties, drinking…typical teenager things. He couldn't imagine this girl standing before him doing any of that, though.

"Where's Rin? Is she still in the kitchen? Don't tell me she's eating even before dinner is ready," he finally broke the silence first, deciding to ask since Rin hadn't come out from the kitchen along with Miku. Miku had her hands folded before her and she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, she's helping your mum to prepare her mushroom sauce. Last I saw, Rin was adding meat into the gravy," Miku fidgeted with some of her long teal hair. He didn't know what else to say, but before he had to rack his brains for another topic she spoke up again, much to his relief. "Can we go up to your piano room? I want to hear you play now that you're better," she requested, something almost like excitement sparking in her gaze. Len wrinkled his nose. He usually loved to play the piano but he wasn't really in the mood today…however, since she asked, then he would play for her. He wanted to get into her good graces after all. Besides, they didn't have anything better to do.

"Okay, let's go then," he went back up the staircase, Miku trotting along behind him. "Do you have any special requests?" he glanced back as he walked, holding on to the banister – he wasn't feeling too good right now, and the constant going up and coming down was taking a greater toll on him than he thought. Miku paused and thought, her lips pursing as she considered her options.

"Play the special piece you composed. The one you arranged from what you remembered of your childhood. Not the one that I arranged for you, but your own original version," she finally decided. His shoulders stiffened. It was one thing to let her see the score itself – to let her hear him play that music piece specifically felt even more… _intrusive_. She seemed to notice how uncomfortable he was with this idea. "Is something wrong?" she raised an eyebrow, pausing at the staircase while she awaited his reply.

Slowly, he shook his head. "No, I can play that," he said quietly, continuing on his way up the stairs. She followed, and they both went to his piano room – the familiar black grand stood regally in the middle of the room, and he watched Miku walk over to the piano, trailing her fingers gently over the smooth black surface. Len cleaned his piano himself once every few days, and he was proud of how well maintained the piano was. It was tuned once a year as well, and it was as good as new despite being a decade old. His parents had bought him a grand after it seemed evident that he was going to continue with his musical education. He just loved the rich, warm sound of a grand – an upright piano just couldn't compare to the smooth velvet of a grand piano's notes. "It's nice, isn't it?" he spoke up after Miku circled the piano, peering in past the stand to look at the exposed strings.

She jumped, apparently startled by the sound of his voice. "Yeah, it's nice," she sounded wistful. "I always wanted a grand…but my family never got one because we moved around so much. It would have been inconvenient to keep one. All I had at home was a keyboard, and if I really wanted to play a proper piano I'd have sneak into the school's music room or something. I used the keyboard mostly for composing only, so I'm a little rusty when it comes to playing classical pieces," she admitted, letting her fingers slip under the solid black piano cover. She lifted it up and shifted the velvet cloth to one side, exposing the ivory keys. Her fingers pressed lightly against the middle C, and the single note echoed throughout the room.

He smiled. He stepped towards the black chair and Miku stood aside to make way for him. "Could you go to the cabinet and take out the transparent folder inside? You shouldn't miss it, there's only one," he gestured towards his music cabinet. Miku did as he asked and walked over to the cabinet, taking out the folder he was referring to. She passed the folder over to him and watched as he leafed unhurriedly through the pages, looking for that one score she wanted him to play.

"I thought you kept it in the black folder. The composition, I mean," she clarified when he lifted his gaze to look at her, his fingers pausing in their search through the folder's contents. He shook his head, returning to his perusal of the music scores – he felt her come slightly closer to him, her presence hovering just a small distance away from him. It was strange having someone else in this room. Rin didn't come in here so much, since she'd rather sing than play. He was the player here, in both the musical and sexual sense of the word…his lips quirked up into a small, bitter kind of smile.

"That folder is for music pieces I still want to change and improve, or compositions I care little about," he explained, finally locating the music piece somewhere towards the back of the folder. He took it out carefully, making sure not to crease or fold the papers. "I was a little surprised that you seemed so fascinated by the compositions in that folder, you know. They aren't my best…it was nice hearing that you liked them though," he added, setting the folder aside and placing the sheets of his composition on the ledge before him. There were three pages in total – not a very long piece.

"Well…I don't know how to say it, but there was something very raw in your works, even if they aren't your best," Miku mused as he stretched his fingers, preparing to play. "There's a lot of emotion in them. More emotion than I'm used to seeing you express," she added, her tone rather pointed. He didn't know what she was trying to imply though. "It's amazing to see that your pieces alone are so… _emotional_ , even without a pianist playing them. Most pieces can only sway the heart when you hear them being played. But yours…didn't need to be heard," she stepped closer again, peering over his shoulder at the papers he had on the ledge. "All the directions…someone like me wouldn't get used to that. I'm more of a classical player. More technique, less feeling," she laughed.

Her laughter was dry. "Sounding emotional in your pieces can be trained. And even if you can't make yourself sound the way the piece is meant to sound, swaying generally helps to make it seem like you're into the piece," he commented just as dryly, remembering the advice his piano teacher had given to him when he was nine years old. Back then, he too always performed worse for romantic pieces. It wasn't bad, he just didn't do as well as he did for the classical and modern pieces.

She shook her head, looking unimpressed. "True emotion cannot be replicated by the movements of the body," she replied softly. "Would you play for me?" she asked, drawing his attention back to the smooth white keys before him. Swallowing, he let his fingers hover over the piano, suddenly a little nervous. The only other people he ever played in front of were his family, his old piano teachers, his old examiners…he rarely put on public performances except for during the annual Music Festival. It just wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, playing for an audience. He cared too much about what other people thought of his work. He didn't care what people said about his lifestyle and his habits, but he loved his music and knowing that people might criticise what he loved utterly terrified him.

Sure, he was good, but some small, nagging self-doubt would always persist in the back of his head. Was there anyone who could ever be fully confident in his ability at doing something? But he pushed the thought away for now – he was only playing for Miku, who had heard him playing before, albeit without his knowledge – and took a deep breath, telling himself that there was only him, the score and the piano right now. The notion of any audience blurred out from his mind and he started, his fingers moving slowly at first but gradually quickening as he got used to the keys and the notes on the paper. His feet instinctively pedalled at the right moments, his fingers dancing and lingering as and when they were required to. He lost himself in his music, a smile creeping across his face.

Miku watched Len. Sure, the music was beautiful and vaguely familiar, but there was something about the pianist himself which was more mesmerising than the soulful melody which floated out from the grand piano. Len looked like he was in his element. She couldn't remember seeing him look so comfortable anywhere else – even in school, there was a certain guardedness about him, but here his face was completely open. She could see how purely happy he was, how much he was enjoying himself while he did something he was so used to doing. Len was captivating when he was happy.

His blue eyes were alight with fervent excitement, his pale lips pressed into a firm line as he read the notes and controlled his hands, all with the same precision as she observed yesterday evening. His slurs were beautiful, his pedalling so precise that she could find no flaw. But then he said he had been practicing since he was four years old, so that was _many_ years of practice – it was unsurprising that he was perfect. Plus he was playing his own piece, after all. She closed her eyes and swayed a little to the melody, her body reacting instinctively to the flow and caress of it around her. It was a sad piece, but not _quite_ sad at the same time – yearning, that was how she would describe it. There was a sense of yearning here, something the melody wanted to pull towards it, but what did it want? What did Len want while he was composing this piece? She didn't think she would ever find out.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Her eyes snapped open and her gaze darted directly to Len, who still had his hands poised over the keys, his breathing almost erratic. She approached him to find out what the problem was and took note of how agitated he seemed, his chest rising and falling quickly. He looked almost frightened. "What's wrong?" she asked, disappointed that he had stopped playing so suddenly but setting that aside for now. He looked like he was suffering a panic attack, and that was more important than her own disappointment. "Len?" she tried when he didn't respond to her.

He turned at the sound of his name, his blue eyes almost wild. "I…I think I remembered something," he shook his head sharply, pressing his hands towards his forehead, a low moan coming out of his mouth. "I keep forgetting what I remember. I know it's important, I _know_ it is! Dammit," he cursed, staring down at his lap. "What did I forget? Fuck, I'm useless," he moaned again, this time sounding defeated. She was concerned, crouching down so that she was no longer standing over him in his seat. Instinctively, she reached out towards him and patted his arm, trying to soothe him a little.

His response took her by surprise. Len grabbed her hands and pulled her towards him, his fingers squeezing her hands tightly. His eyes were closed, his blond eyelashes feathering against his cheeks as he gritted his teeth in frustration. "Did you ever forget something and feel like shooting yourself because it was clearly important, and your mind couldn't do something as fucking stupid as holding on to a memory?" he asked through his gritted teeth. She winced. It was the first time she had heard him cussing at all, and honestly it was a little weird hearing such words coming out from Len. It just went so completely against his golden boy image, with the blond hair and bright blue eyes and all.

"Yes, but I just wait a while and usually, the memory will come back. The more you think about it the less likely it's going to return, you know," she tried to sound encouraging, though she didn't think she was very successful. She wasn't the most encouraging of persons, generally. "What do you think that memory was about? Like something you had to do or some story you heard in the past or…?"

"My childhood. It was about my childhood," he shook his head, opening his eyes and abruptly letting go of Miku's hands. She fell back in surprise, landing on the floor, and Len blinked at her as though surprised that she was sitting on the ground. "Oh, sorry," he apologised, instantly rising from his seat and reaching a hand out towards her. She took hold of his hand, her other hand placed against her back – her butt was aching a little at the impact – and he hauled her up. "I shouldn't have grabbed you like that, but when you were patting me that way you reminded me of my mother," he admitted, giving her a sideways glance. She didn't know if she should be offended or not that she reminded him of his mother. Did she behave like she was that old? "Anyway, thanks for your advice. I'll stop thinking about it…maybe the memory will come back," he shook his head despondently. "Though I doubt it will, really," he continued to himself, "every time I remember something it never comes back."

"What happened to your childhood memories? You seem pretty eager to remember them. Did you forget about your past or something?" she was pretty curious. This might explain why Len didn't seem to remember who she was. Of course, she still thought it might be because he simply forgot her, but then his behaviour now seemed to imply that there was another reason behind his forgetfulness. Rin's words about Len being involved in an accident floated through her mind.

He looked at her for a while, just a steady long look as though he was evaluating whether or not he ought to tell her. Then he let out a sigh. "I suffer from partial amnesia. I was knocked over by a car when I was ten years old and I got a really bad concussion, _plus_ I ended up in a coma for a few days. When I woke up, I couldn't remember most of my life from between eight up till that accident. So I'm trying really hard to remember," some kind of dam seemed to break and suddenly he almost seemed to be confiding in her. "I have a diary. I found it in the attic the other day and it belonged to me when I was nine years old. I wanted to read it but I can't because I have shitty handwriting," he groaned, raking his fingers through his blond hair. "Whenever I try too hard to remember things my head really hurts," he added, his hand still covering his face – he peeked out at her from between his slim fingers. "All I remember is this stupid melody, but I can't even figure out if it's the right thing!"

Suddenly everything seemed to make sense. He really couldn't remember her. He had met her when they were nine years old, and they knew each other for exactly one year before she moved away. And it seemed that his accident had erased the memory of that one year entirely. She hesitated – should she tell him that they knew each other when they were little, and that she could probably help him to find his memory again? She wanted to tell him, but then something held her back. It was a little selfish voice which whispered, ' _Do you really want him to know? When you're not even sure if he's still the same person? Losing his memory doesn't excuse the person he's become. You know it'._ She knew this was the truth, what her conscience was telling her was true. But she could help…

She looked up at him. He was muttering something quietly under his breath – she couldn't make out what he was saying, but she guessed that he was probably cursing his inability to retain his memories. She hesitated again. She didn't know what to do. After all, he might not react well if she just suddenly told him they were childhood friends – it would be quite a lot to take in. But she couldn't just keep quiet about it either. When he talked about how he had forgotten his past, he looked like he was genuinely in pain. What should she do? Maybe she could help him find his memories by staying by his side and slowly nudging him towards his past? They were already going to be friends, anyway. It would make sense for them to spend time together…maybe it would trigger more old memories.

The only thing holding her back, she knew, was the knowledge that he was a player who broke the hearts of so many girls, including her friend. She didn't want to sully the memory of the boy she knew by associating him with someone as terrible as Len. But Len… _was_ the same boy as the one in her past, she couldn't just pretend that they were completely unrelated. He had promised that he would no longer do all this anymore though, since he wanted to be friends with her. Maybe, if he kept to his promise, she would let slip more information about his past? She would feel better about giving up his memories – for they were her shared memories as well, and they were precious years to her – if she knew that Len was no longer behaving in a way which contradicted all her beliefs.

Yes, that was what she would do. She would stay by his side and watch for changes in his behaviour. He couldn't possibly be a bad person at heart, not when he helped her out before a few times. Then if he had really turned over a new leaf, she would tell him what she knew. Just then, right as she made up her mind, she heard the door open and Rin stuck her head in, studying the two of them with a look of cool apathy on her face – though Miku was sure something almost like concern flitted through her blue eyes when she looked at her. It made her remember what Rin had been telling her earlier, and she wondered what story the blonde had wanted to reveal. "Dinner is ready, Mum told me to come and get you two down," she announced before leaving, the door closing once more.

"Well then, we should go," Len muttered in response, shaking his head before he smiled at her and walked towards the door, the earlier agitation completely gone. Miku followed him out of the room and down the stairs, the whole time thinking about the Kagamine twins. Rin seemed to be trying to tell her something, but she never really managed to get her message across – even now, at the dinner table while she sat next to Len, she could feel the girl's piercing gaze upon her. It was almost distracting her from the excellent taste of the spaghetti, for which she thanked her host profusely. Len's mother just waved the compliments away graciously, though she did seem delighted that Miku liked her cooking so much. Miku quite liked the woman, really. She reminded her of her mother.

Len's dad was nowhere in sight, and when she asked about it Rin just said that he was working and would be home late. Miku thought it was odd to be working on a Sunday, but her parents were sometimes guilty of that as well so she held her tongue. She glanced at Len, who was sitting next to her and already on his third plate of spaghetti – she discreetly watched him eat as his blond hair caught the glimmer of the dining room lights and his blue eyes dimmed, darkening with mysterious, unknown thoughts. He wasn't just an ass towards girls, he was broken and incomplete. She didn't know if she was able to help him or if he really even wanted her help, but she wanted to try to make him complete. He held a special significance for her even though he couldn't remember that, and she had to make things right, somehow. It was more than just getting him to stop playing around with girls. It was about making him whole again, fixing the mind his memories had abandoned.

She looked down at her plate just as Len glanced up, their gazes almost meeting. She noticed that he was staring at her, and so was Rin – throughout the entire meal, as Len and Rin's mother chattered away and asked them all questions about their day, she was extremely conscious of two pairs of eyes continuously trained on her – two identical pairs of vivid blue eyes, one pair curious, the other one…how could she describe it? She couldn't do so, especially since she couldn't even describe the owner of those eyes himself. But if she hazarded a guess, she thought he looked almost confused.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N** : _In this chapter I get mildly annoyed because of Len and Rin's mother. On one hand, I don't want to use Mrs. Kagamine because that just sounds very weird to me, given the Japanese name. But I don't want to use Kagamine-san either because throughout this story there is never any mention of honorifics. So in this chapter, I refer to her in a very convoluted, roundabout kind of way._

* * *

Halfway through their meal, the doorbell rang. Rin flinched at the shrill sound – their house doorbell was loud and piercing. Their mother had changed the doorbell into the noisiest, most attention-grabbing one she could find because both she and Len rarely noticed people outside the house.

Len got up from his seat immediately and went towards the front door, as though he had been expecting someone to come and visit. Rin exchanged a look with their mother, and the blonde girl got off her chair to take a look at who was visiting at such a strange hour. It couldn't possibly be their father returning from work, he wouldn't have to ring the doorbell. Miku followed Rin hesitantly, curious about what was going on – she remained a few steps behind the blonde, peering out into the living room. Both girls could see Len at the door talking to someone as he carried a cardboard box.

Then Len shifted and Miku caught a glimpse of inky black hair and gleaming golden eyes. She let out a small gasp of surprise, making Rin turn back towards her with an eyebrow raised. "He's talking to Rei!" she whispered, tilting her head towards the front door. Rin looked and the expression on her face turned into one of surprise. Then she looked at Miku again and her smile became knowing.

"Why, does Rei know you're here for dinner?" she asked, her voice lilting playfully. Miku just rolled her eyes and shook her head – it was bad enough that Mizki was trying to force her together with the Council Vice President, she didn't need Rin to be doing the same thing. And anyway, she had always thought that Rin was on her side. Why was she suddenly doing the same thing as Mizki? "Well, even if he doesn't know you're here, we should still go and say hi," Rin started towards the door, pulling Miku along with her. But Miku tried to hold Rin back, struggling as quietly as she could.

"I can't!" she protested when Rin narrowed her blue eyes at her. "I mean, what if Rei thinks that I'm involved with Len? He knows I just came back here a few days ago. And suddenly I'm at your house! With Len!" her face flushed. Of course, she and Len didn't have any kind of special relationship, but she was sure that Rei would jump to conclusions. What else could he think? Len was _notorious_ for sleeping around. She didn't think Rei would just assume she only came over for tea and biscuits.

"Oh please," Rin rolled her eyes. "No one would assume that you and Len are having a fling if I'm in the house, right? Even Len wouldn't stupidly bring some girl back home to sleep with if both our mother and I are at home. Don't be silly, Miku," now that Rin put it that way, Miku couldn't help but think she did overreact a little. "Anyway, let's just go and say hello to him. I want to know what they're talking about anyway. What's in that box Len is holding?" Rin squinted at the front door.

This time, Miku allowed Rin to drag her along, though she still wasn't very enthusiastic about the whole thing. "Hey, Rei!" Rin yelled out when they were a small distance away from the front door. Len glanced around at her, Rei looking past his shoulder into the house. His golden eyes landed on Rin and he smiled, waving back. Then his gaze shifted a little past Rin and he saw Miku. His eyes widened in surprise as Miku stood there shyly, waving at the dark boy. Len blinked, looking startled to see them both outside the dining area. "What are you two talking about?" Rin barged into their conversation, standing at the doorstep next to Len, taking a look inside his cardboard box.

"Oh, the Student Council needs some fairy lights for the play we're putting on next Sunday. It's our fundraising event this year for the children's hospice," Rei said cheerfully in response. Miku noticed that he was holding on to a duffel bag, and water droplets still clung to his damp black hair – he must have been exercising before coming over here. "Is my visit interrupting something?" he added, his tone becoming slightly more cautious. All three of them shook their head, and Rei smiled again, looking relieved. "Okay, I'd hate to be a bother. Thanks for the lights, Len! I'll get someone to return them to you once we're done…" Len passed his box over to Rei, who took hold of it with ease.

"Don't bother returning them, I don't want them," Len flicked his blond fringe away from his eyes. "You should just keep them in case you need them for anything else. I know I won't," his lips curved up into a small grin. Miku glanced at Len – he wasn't being rude, but he didn't sound particularly friendly either. Rei didn't take offence though, instead just nodding and thanking Len once more.

"Who is this?" a new voice called out, making all of them turn around. Len's mother stood behind them, peering inquisitively at where all of them were gathered. "Oh Len, is this your friend too?" she trotted over, a smile on her face. Miku didn't miss the look of exasperation on Len's face when his mother walked over, but the look was only there for a second before it disappeared. "You should come in! We're having dinner now, you came at just the perfect timing," she pushed between Rin and Miku to stand next to Len, beaming at Rei. Rei blinked, looking surprised at the offer.

"Oh, it wouldn't be nice of me to intrude. I was just here to collect something," he raised the box he was holding. "Thank you for the invitation though, I really appreciate that a lot," he made a small bow. But Len's mother wasn't having any of this, and she insisted on Rei joining them for dinner – until Rei finally nodded sheepishly and came into the house, setting the box down on the floor.

So that was how yet another person came to join them at the dinner table. Rei was sitting next to Miku, so she was seated between him and Len. Both boys on either side of her were eating ungodly amounts of pasta, and she had to wonder how they didn't get fat if this was how much food they ate every day. Then again, she couldn't exactly gain weight herself even if she tried, so she wasn't really in the position to wonder about such a thing. There was plenty of pasta to go around – Len and Rin's mother had not been lying when she promised to fatten Miku up – and Rei made many compliments on how excellent his dinner was. The older woman seemed extremely pleased when she heard that.

"So the play is for the hospice this year? Last year it was for the orphanage, wasn't it?" Rin was now asking Rei about Student Council matters. Rei nodded, slurping up some of the spaghetti on his plate. There was a speck of creamy mushroom sauce on his chin, and Miku was very tempted to reach over and wipe it off with a tissue. She was quite fussy about tidiness and orderliness, and nothing in her room was ever out of place. "How many people are going for the play, so far?" Rin continued, eyeing the raven haired boy as she sawed up another chunk of grilled chicken thigh.

"Around a hundred, maybe? I can't remember, I need to take a look at the seating charts again. But the hall we booked in Victoria Concert Hall can accommodate up to two hundred and fifty so we're trying to sell more tickets," Rei answered, unconsciously reaching up to wipe off the speck of sauce. She felt much better knowing that the sauce was gone from his chin. "If we manage to sell off all two hundred and fifty seats, then we'll raise five thousand dollars this year. It'll be more than what we achieved last year, plus we still haven't added in the funds we raised in earlier months. It's all going to the hospice this time too, rather than being split between a few charities," Rei patted his stomach, setting his clean plate aside. "I'm stuffed! This tastes amazing," he added.

Their host grinned at him. "Would you like some more?" she chirped. Rei hastily shook his head, something almost like nervousness on his face. She tutted. "You lot eat too little. No wonder you're all so skinny," she sighed, much to Miku's bemusement – Rei and Len had cleaned off four plates each, and she personally thought that was a lot already. How much spaghetti did they have to eat before their appetites were proclaimed satisfactory? "Well, I'll be going to my room first. Do clean up after yourselves, dears," she glanced at her children. "I have a lot of paperwork to sort before my board meeting with the partners tomorrow so I have to get ready. Love you!" she patted them on their heads, much to their embarrassment, before she rose from the table and went up the stairs.

Len coughed, breaking the silence that fell upon the table after their mother went off. "If no one wants any more pasta, I'll put the rest in the fridge so our dad can have his dinner when he comes back," he announced. Everyone agreed that they were full, so Len and Rin stood up and started cleaning, bringing the plates over to the sink and scooping the remaining pasta into a Tupperware box. Miku and Rei offered to help, but the twins told them to just stay put so the two of them were stuck at the table, shooting quick glances at each other. Rei, unsurprisingly, was the first to talk.

"So what are you doing here, Miku?" he asked, one side of his mouth quirking upwards. "Did you happen to just say hi to Rin and get invited in for dinner as well?" Rei had his hands clasped together on his lap, his left ankle placed on his right knee. His black hair had dried somewhat since he entered the house, and it now looked slightly messy, almost windblown. His golden eyes were filled with mirth, and she found her face warming slightly as he regarded her curiously. Just like Mizki said, Rei was pretty good-looking. When it came to physical appearance, he certainly didn't lose to Len.

"Well, Len and I were working on a music composition actually. And he invited me over for dinner since we're friends and all," she shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious as Rei continued to stare at her. "My parents weren't home, and I would have to either cook or go out and buy food myself so I thought I'd just come along," she smiled, falling silent and dropping her gaze towards her lap. She could see his legs, but that was all she could make out of Kagene Rei. Neither one of them spoke for a while. She listened to the sounds of Len and Rin bustling around in the kitchen – they were causing quite a ruckus, and she had half a mind to go inside and see what the blond twins were up to.

"I didn't know you two were friends," Rei finally commented. She looked up and saw him peering at her, golden eyes filled with curiosity. "I mean, Len told me you were partners for music class but I didn't know you two were so close you'd come over for dinner. But it's great that you're making friends, Miku," he tilted his head and smiled. Her cheeks warmed slightly at the sight of his friendly grin and she had to hastily avert her gaze. "If you run into any problems in school, Miku, just let me know. It's my duty as Student Council Vice President to help you the best I can. Besides," there was a pause, and she dared to glance up at him once more – Rei's eyes were slightly narrowed, and his expression was almost contemplative. "I do consider you a friend of mine, and I'd hate it if you ran into any trouble and I couldn't do anything to help. So be sure to keep me up to date, all right?" the distant look left his face and he was back to being his usual cheery self. She hastily nodded in reply.

Just then, Len popped out of the kitchen, looking rather red-faced. His hair, which was normally up in a neat ponytail, was in terrible disarray. He looked like he had just gotten into a fight and had come out on the losing end, and Miku wondered if he and Rin had actually been fighting. That would explain the noise they were making. "Miku, could you pass me the Tupperware?" he called, pointing at the clear plastic box he had left on the table after setting aside the remaining spaghetti. Miku hastily complied, carefully bringing the box over to Len – the container was remarkably full and she didn't want to risk tripping and spilling the contents all over the floor. Len took the box from her with a grunt of thanks before ducking back inside the kitchen, and she peeked inside to take a look at why they were taking so long to clean up. The first thing she saw was Rin leaning against the sink.

Len was putting the Tupperware box inside the fridge, a mop in his free hand. There was pasta sauce all over the floor – it seemed like Rin had spilled some while they were cooking earlier, or maybe when they were placing the dishes in the sink. Either way, the blonde looked unapologetic as she stared at her twin brother busily cleaning up around her, his hair falling messily around his face. Rin glanced up and saw her standing at the kitchen entrance. "Oh, hey Miku," Rin called casually. She was halfway through peeling an orange. "I thought we asked you to stay outside with Rei? The kitchen's an absolute mess now. Mum makes the best food but she never knows how to keep clean," she rolled her blue eyes, popping a slice of orange in her mouth. "It's Len's turn to clean today, in case you're wondering why I'm not helping. I washed the dishes already," she added.

Was this why Rin and her mother had chased her out of the kitchen while they were making dinner earlier? Judging by the state of the kitchen now compared to how immaculate it had been last night, it seemed probable. "Yeah, and then you'll throw the orange peels and seeds everywhere and I'll have to clean up even more," Len grumbled. Rin shot him a nasty look, which her twin ignored. Len then stood up straight and stretched, revealing just a bit of his bare stomach. She quickly averted her gaze, uncomfortable with observing a male body – she didn't spend a lot of time looking at boys or anything, so seeing even just a little bit of skin made her nervous. She was already eighteen years old so it shouldn't affect her so much, but in all honesty she was very inexperienced with physicality and the opposite gender so she would rather not see anything she was not meant to see.

Rin, on the other hand, was completely unaffected by Len's stretching. Miku was sure plenty of girls would have loved to see Len like that – he stretched like a cat, a smooth and supple motion that showed off his strong, lean limbs and the barest hint of toned abs. But then again, Rin was his sister and seeing Len shirtless was something she probably had to face every day. "Yeah sure, like you don't do the same thing when I'm cleaning," Rin sounded snappish. "Stop complaining and get a move on, I'm going to leave the kitchen first. You better make sure every tile is sparkling clean before you come out," the girl warned. Len shot her a nasty look of his own before returning to mopping the kitchen floor, and Rin sidled over to Miku, leading her away from the kitchen.

Miku glanced over her shoulder at Len, observing him as he cleaned the sauce up from the tiles. His hair was sticking to the back of his neck, but other than that it didn't look like he was expending any effort at all. Shrugging, she looked away and returned her attention to Rei, who was gazing at both her and Rin curiously. Rin held out her half eaten orange fruit. "Want some?" she offered Rei. Rei just shook his head politely and the two girls drew out their chairs, sitting at the table once more.

"Where's Len?" Rei asked, glancing past them towards the kitchen. Rin just shrugged, popping another slice of orange into her mouth. Miku wondered if Len liked bananas – she vaguely recalled seeing plenty of oranges and bananas in the fridge last night, and if Rin was the one eating all the oranges then it would make sense if the bananas were eaten by Len. There were really a lot of these fruits compared to the others. Len and Rin probably ate one a day or something…maybe more than one. It wasn't the first time Miku had seen Rin eating an orange. She must really like that fruit.

"Cleaning up," Rin answered, popping the last slice into her mouth and sighing in satisfaction. She licked her fingers too, cleaning all the juice off her skin. "He should be done pretty soon, he cleans faster than me. He has more experience cleaning up you see," her words were dry. "Especially after himself," she added after a pause. Rei immediately snorted, whereas Miku took a while longer to get the joke. When she understood, her face flamed, much to Rei and Rin's amusement. "You really don't know anything, do you, Miku?" Rin asked, propping her cheek up against her hand.

"It's not that I don't know anything," she felt strangely obligated to defend herself. "It's just that I don't really…I don't pay attention to these things," she said lamely, noticing how Rei's lips twitched at her response. "I'm more interested in studying, all right? I don't want to think about…things that I don't want to think about!" she concluded. Rin just stared at her for a while before slowly nodding.

"That's good, you should keep thinking that way," Rin clapped her on the back, fortunately with her clean hand. "There are too many people out there who get into such things too young and too soon. It's better to focus on studies, isn't it?" she looked up and caught Rei's gaze – something seemed to pass between them, some sort of hidden message that Miku wasn't privy to. Then Rei smiled at her and Rin removed her hand from her back, looking away towards the clock hanging on the far wall.

"Well, it's getting late," Rei seemed to take note of the time too. He rose from the chair, his hands placed flat against the table. Miku noticed for the first time that Rei was around the same height as Len. It wasn't something she had paid attention to before – she just knew that Rei was noticeably taller than her. "I should get back home soon. Not that I have anyone to welcome me home," he shrugged, sounding uncharacteristically introspective. He looked almost gloomy, but before Miku could bring herself to voice out any words of comfort, the look faded from his eyes and he was his easy-going, carefree self once again. "But I have some work to do and I need to talk to Luka about what to do with the fairy lights. The school wants a logistics report and of course, I'm in charge of that too," he rolled his golden eyes playfully before shooting them a crooked grin. "That was a really good meal, I liked it a lot. Thank your mum for me," he told Rin, who nodded absentmindedly in response. Then he glanced at her and his smile turned warmer – or was that simply her imagination?

"I'll see you around some time, Miku," he held her gaze for a few seconds longer before he turned away and walked off towards the front door, taking hold of the box of fairy lights. Rin, as though suddenly breaking away from her daydreams, called out to him from the dining area and offered to show him the way home, but Rei waved the offer away and said he would find his own way home. Rin quickly got off her chair and went over to unlock the door, and Rei slipped out of the house with one final word of thanks before he went off. Rin then closed the door behind her, turning the lock.

"I think he likes you," Rin stage whispered once she was back at the dining table, where Miku was still seated. Miku's first instinct was to deny it, knowing that someone popular like Rei would never take notice of her that way – but then she hesitated. Mizki's continuous attempts at demonstrating Rei's interest in her suddenly came to mind. Could Mizki's misguided attempts at fostering romantic attraction actually hold some truth to them? Rin seemed to be into the whole thing as well when just recently, she and Mizki had been arguing over whether Rei really felt anything besides normal friendliness towards Miku. Miku herself wasn't sure if Rei had been looking at her strangely, or if she was just overly sensitive and had misinterpreted the whole thing. But she didn't think she was…

"You're overreacting," she finally brought herself to say. At the same time, she heard a cough come from behind her and both she and Rin instantly whipped around, staring at the source of the sound. Len was standing behind them, the mop gone and his hair tidied up – there was the faintest hint of sweat on his forehead and the collar of his shirt was a little darker than the rest of the shirt, but other than that he seemed perfectly fine. There was no hint whatsoever of what he had been up to in the kitchen. Len looked at both of them, then at the empty chair Rei had vacated a while ago.

"I agree with Miku, Rin. You're always overreacting," his tone was blunt as he kept his arms folded across his chest. "And anyway, where did Rei go? Don't tell me he left already," Len's words were outwardly annoyed – at least he did sound a little irritated – but Miku could see that there was the barest glimmer of relief in his vivid blue eyes. It was such a small glimmer that if she hadn't been looking so closely at him and studying his body language, she wouldn't even have picked up on it. She observed just how relaxed his posture was now and how he was no longer quite as tense as he was when Rei was around, and concluded that Rei's presence had been making him feel…hostile?

She wasn't sure herself since Len didn't have any reason to be hostile towards Rei, at least none that she knew of. Rin's eyes narrowed at Len and she wondered if the blonde had picked up on the same thing Miku did. "You don't even know what Miku and I were talking about," she haughtily addressed the first part of Len's statement. "And yes, he left. He said he had to get home since it was getting late. Don't worry, he remembered to bring the fairy lights with him. I saw him take the box," she added. Miku nodded along in confirmation of what Rin said, and Len finally unfolded his arms.

"Well, that's nice," his tone was flat. "Are you heading home now too?" he looked at her. She hesitated, glancing at Rin – Rin still hadn't finished telling her the secret she wanted to share. But her friend simply smiled and said nothing. Maybe she would tell her some other time…she was pretty curious about what Rin had to say, but it probably wasn't a good idea to talk about this right in front of Len. Finally, she nodded. She didn't have anything else to do here, so she might as well get back home. She'd have to pack for school tomorrow and make sure she had done all her work. "All right, then I'll walk you back," Len's tone left no room for argument, so she resigned herself to his company. For some reason, he didn't seem to be in the best of moods. It could be because of how he had to clean up the mess in the kitchen, it could be because of Rei's abrupt departure, it could even be lingering unhappiness about his encounter with Tei, but she didn't want to probe.

She said goodbye to Rin and walked out of the dining area towards the living room, Len following closely behind her. Rin just waved in response and went the opposite direction, up the stairs to her room probably. Miku realised that although she had been up on the first floor landing of their house before, she hadn't actually seen Rin's room. She guessed that the two doors facing each other on the landing were Len and Rin's rooms, but she couldn't tell which room belonged to whom.

"Are you all right?" she asked when she and Len were silently walking together outside. She had spent quite a bit of time with him today, something that she never thought she would have done. After all, she had gone to her first day of school with the intention of avoiding Len as much as she possibly could. Len looked up at her question, blinking in surprise. He had his hands in his pockets and his fringe, blowing around in the breeze, was messily covering one of his bright blue eyes.

"Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" he asked. He did seem pretty normal, but she was sure that she hadn't misinterpreted the irritation in his gaze after he came out from the kitchen. Maybe the annoyance really had been there, but she was thinking too much about why he felt that way. She was just concerned about him – she had been thinking about Len ever since he admitted to her that he couldn't remember part of his past. The part involving her, specifically. She was still pretty torn over what to do with that bit of information. She couldn't just give in and forgive everything he had ever done, but she felt like she couldn't totally blame him for his behaviour either. It was irrational to think that way, but she felt like Len wasn't really that bad. Maybe he had just…lost his way.

She knew what it was like to not think about things that happened in the past. She threw her most precious memories aside so that she would be able to survive and forge a new life every time she moved to someplace new. But at least she did it willingly. Len never had a choice. "I don't know, you just don't seem like you're in a very good mood today," she answered. Len shrugged, his hands still tucked in his pockets. When they were walking like this together, she could pretend that he was just a normal boy. But she knew that he wasn't. Would he ever be _normal_? She wasn't sure about that.

"I ran into my crazy stalker today, and she's been blowing up my phone throughout dinner telling me that she's got my tacos. I had to switch my phone off so that she would stop calling me," he looked up at the night sky. It was quite dark now actually. Miku hadn't realised how late it was getting. "I don't think anyone would be in the best of moods if they were in my shoes," he added, turning away from the night sky and looking down at her. She just shrugged too, and both of them continued to walk in silence. She couldn't help but feel that he wasn't telling her everything – he was in a decent mood when they finally got back to his house so she didn't think that Tei was the only reason why he was grumpy again. Or at least as grumpy as one could be without making it obvious.

But Len was under no obligation to tell her anything, even if they _were_ friends now, so she thought that it would be better to leave him alone about this matter for the moment. They walked all the way to her house in silence. It wasn't a bad, awkward kind of silence, it was actually rather comfortable. It was pretty nice to be able to spend time with someone who didn't have the need to fill up the silence with incessant chatter. "Well, I'm home now," she stood at the driveway and smiled at Len. He returned her smile, though it didn't really reach his eyes. The look in his eyes was as distant as the stars in the night sky, and he seemed to be thinking deeply about something. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner. I like your mum a lot, she's really nice," she hesitated. "Tell me if you need any more assistance with the score, or if the music ends up triggering more of your memories. I really want to help you remember," she was surprised at how earnest she sounded. It startled Len too, who blinked and focused on her – his blue eyes narrowed slightly, though whether it was in shock or suspicion she couldn't tell.

"Yeah, sure. I'll let you know if anything happens. And I'll take your advice," he said dryly. "You know, to not think about the memories so much. Maybe what I forgot will come back to me…at least I really hope so," he sighed and shook his head. "If you want to come over for dinner again just let me know," his gaze flitted behind her, taking note of the empty house. "It must suck to eat dinner alone all the time. My parents don't join us for dinner on weekdays but if you want, you can eat with Rin and I…at least until your parents are back," he said quickly, like he was regretting his offer.

She was a little touched though. "I'll keep that in mind," she answered. "You should go home, you're still a little sick, aren't you? Don't stay out here too long, you're not wearing any jacket so you'll get cold," she reminded him. He just laughed and told her that his MC covered tomorrow too, though he would come to school if he was feeling better by Monday morning. So with a final word of farewell she turned and walked down the driveway towards the front door, letting herself into the house. She locked the door and switched on the lights, squinting as bright light flooded the living room. It was, just as Len pointed out, as empty as ever. She suddenly found herself missing her parents, but she squashed the loneliness. Her parents would be here by next Sunday, so she just had to put up with being alone at home until then.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she drew it out to take a look at who had messaged her. It was from Len. ' _Goodnight'_ , was all the message read. But she found her lips curving up into a smile at the text. She replied with a 'you too' and walked into her house, stretching and falling onto her black leather couch. She was tired from spending the whole day outside, and she would let herself take just a very quick nap before she went to bathe and get ready for school the next day. Maybe a ten or fifteen minute nap would do…she didn't want to sleep so much that she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

She let her eyes close as she curled up on the couch and rested her head against one of the cushions. It was surprisingly comfortable here – she hadn't thought it would feel so nice given the cold smooth texture of the leather. But before she could focus on anything else, her mind blanked out and then she stopped thinking altogether.


	14. Chapter 14

Nothing much happened until Wednesday. Len didn't come to school on Monday, probably making full use of his MC, but he was back on Tuesday and he looked like he was fully recovered from his illness. Miku didn't see him around that often though, on Tuesday. They didn't share any class.

Wednesday came, and she had two classes with Len – Literature and Music, two classes right after each other. During Literature, they all submitted the essay that had been assigned to them last week and then their teacher went in to another work, this time 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Miku had read this book before once, and she found it so dry that she vowed she would never read it again – unfortunately, it seemed to be quite a popular book in the English Literature syllabus. There were several schools she had attended in the past which all dealt with this particular text.

Instantly, she tuned the teacher out, doodling in her notebook. Languidly, she flipped through the notebook to see all her previous doodles and scribbles – this was the notebook she used for notes during the school term, but she wrote plenty of other unrelated things in it as well. She paused at the pages she was writing in two days ago, on Monday. On Monday she had one class with Rei – it happened to be Calculus – and after the lesson, he came over to her and scribbled down something in her notebook, his golden eyes gleaming with good humour. When she looked at what he wrote, she saw a series of numbers and realised that he had left her his phone number. She looked at the digits again, her fingers idly brushing over the dried ink. She still had yet to contact Rei.

Miku turned towards Len, who was sitting a few seats away from her. His chin was propped up against his hand, and he looked terribly bored. She tried to be discreet with her staring, but Len seemed to notice her looking at him and glanced at her as well, placing his hand on the table. His lips curved up into a small smile before he looked away once more, this time playing with the pens he had on his desk. His hair was up in his usual ponytail, though it was tied pretty low today at the nape of his neck. He looked a little tired, but then that wasn't anything surprising. All of them were tired.

Looking at him reminded her of his sister, and once more she wondered why Rin had yet to finish her story. Maybe it was because they never really had any private time together. She didn't share any classes with Rin on Monday, and on Tuesday she and Rin were always surrounded by other people. The blonde had extra classes that day too so they couldn't go home together. Maybe, if she could get Rin alone sometime, she would know what Rin had wanted to tell her. She was pretty interested in anything to do with Len, especially in light of his memory loss. She glanced at the boy again and briefly thought about their deal. How was he holding up so far, going without sex?

She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She shot up in her seat, her hand drifting instinctively towards her pocket, but she reminded herself that she was in class and she shouldn't be texting – it was bad enough that she wasn't paying attention to the class. But for some reason she glanced at Len again and found him staring meaningfully at her. His gaze dipped towards her skirt, then lifted to her face once more, a small smile curving his lips. She hesitated. Carefully, always keeping an eye on the teacher, she drew her phone out of her pocket and fiddled with it beneath her desk, trying hard to be inconspicuous. Just like she thought, Len had sent her a message. ' _Skip music with me, it'll be faster if we just go elsewhere to think over our score. Otherwise we'll have to sing something for class today, and I'm not in the mood to listen to myself croaking_.' She glanced at Len, frowning.

Len just tilted his head, awaiting a reply. She was really uncertain about skipping class. Of course, she had done so before, but that was _before_ she resolved to clean up her act and do as well as she could. Skipping was not part of her agenda here. ' _Is that really a good idea? Won't our attendance be affected?_ ' she sent back, her fingers tapping away quickly underneath her desk. Attendance made up only five percent of their grade – it was a measly percentage, but why would anyone throw away free points? Everything counted towards their score, anyway. She used to be a rebellious child and because of that she almost hadn't been able to graduate from middle school. She wouldn't be repeating the same mistakes here. She had to go to university. Her parents believed in her.

The reply was almost immediate. ' _Our teacher gives me a lot of leeway. I've been in her class for years, she knows me. And since you're my partner, she'll close one eye too. Trust me on this.'_ She still wasn't very convinced about this, but since Len sounded so certain…and even if she didn't get the attendance points for one class, it probably wouldn't affect her grades too badly. So finally, she said okay and the message exchange stopped. She was nervous, nevertheless. It had been a few years since she last skipped any lesson because she tried very hard to maintain a perfect record, and suddenly breaking that was just…well, it felt wrong. But she figured that getting their project done was more important, and besides the more time she spent with Len the more she might be able to help him remember things. It was difficult to believe that he had forgotten her so entirely.

When the school bell rang, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She found that her hands were clammy, and took a moment to reflect on how much she had changed since she was thirteen years old. Thirteen-year-old her would think that the Miku now was a complete prat. The old her once scoffed at the overachievers, branding herself an outcast and rebel. She had never wanted to fit in. Back then, skipping class was nothing – she often climbed over school gates to get out of class, she had been rebellious and never submitted any homework, her grades sucked and she even picked up smoking for a short while. Thankfully, her parents found out and forced her to kick the habit, and she had been clean ever since. She used to be a teenage rebel, and now she was squeaky clean – one of those stuck-up, pompous overachievers her younger self utterly despised.

No one would look at her now and imagine that she used to be that way in the past. Sure, she was rebellious in grade school too, but it hadn't gotten so bad. She couldn't remember why she was stuck in that vicious downward spiral. Rei covered her butt in the past, he probably thought that her bouts of restlessness were entertaining then but would he think the same if he knew what she grew up to become? It was unlikely. She desperately didn't want anyone to know about her shady past. If she hadn't one day seen that she was just destroying her own future, she probably would be even worse now. Maybe she would have started on drugs. It was a silly thought now, but back then it had been entirely possible. She could only be thankful that ultimately, she hadn't gone down that road.

Bad company and bad friends. She knew the results of mixing with the wrong people, and that was why nowadays she hardly socialised with most people, preferring to be alone most of the time. Of course, she wasn't a loner – she was just exceptionally careful about the company she kept, and unless she felt certain that they were _decent_ people she usually maintained a careful distance. "Hey, let's go to the library. The Reading Room is usually empty, and we won't be bothered by anyone there," Len's voice jolted her out of her reminiscing, and she looked up at him, blinking in surprise. He was standing over her table, his blue eyes filled with curiosity. Maybe he had been calling her for a while and she just didn't hear him, trapped within her memories. Sometimes remembering wasn't always a good thing…like in her case. She didn't want to remember. But Len wasn't like her.

"Sure, let's go," she laughed shakily, sweeping her notebook and stationery into her backpack and rising from the table. Len just gave her another look, maybe one of curiosity or concern – she couldn't be sure and she didn't dare to look into his eyes just in case he happened to see the guilt that dwelled in hers, like some noxious black parasite. "You don't sound very well," she added, noticing that his voice was a little hoarse. It was worse than over the weekend, actually. While he was sick, he sounded tired but he didn't sound like he had a nasty sore throat, unlike now.

He coughed, absentmindedly rubbing his throat. "Yeah…I don't know, I woke up today and my voice sounded like crap. I don't want to go to Music class today when we have to sing something," he rolled his eyes. "I probably can't even sing half my usual range today. I'm not going to try and ruin my voice," they walked down the hallway towards the stairs. They were on the first floor, so they'd have to go to the ground floor to get to the library. Len's hand skimmed the banister as they went down the stairs, the halls quiet and empty – the five minutes they had to get from class to class were over, and their Music teacher surely must have noticed their absence by now. Miku swallowed, but tried not to think about it – the more she thought about this, the more panicky she would feel.

"Take honey with lemon, it helps," she offered, at the same time almost slipping down the stairs when her foot missed a step. Len, who had been walking a little bit ahead of her, instantly turned and caught her by the waist – for a while, they just stared at each other. Len's blue eyes were wider than she had ever seen them as he stared down at her. She couldn't bring herself to move away as she leant against his arm, him supporting her weight effortlessly. She suddenly felt self-conscious about wearing such a fitting top, noticing how Len's gaze dipped to her torso before quickly flitting back up to her face, as though he had been caught looking at something he wasn't supposed to look at.

"Are you okay?" he was the first one to speak. Her other hand was placed against the wall – when she felt herself slipping, her arms had flailed out wildly in an attempt to find her balance and her right hand was now flat against the wall. Her left hand was somehow lying on Len's shoulder, and she abruptly removed it at this realisation. She nodded, temporarily unable to find her voice, and he exhaled, removing his arm from around her waist. "Watch where you're going," was the only thing he had to say to her, continuing down the stairs as though nothing had happened. She just followed him quietly, not wanting to make the situation between them awkward. Not that it wasn't already…

They walked in silence all the way to the library, both of them lost in their individual thoughts. Len resisted the urge to glance back at Miku, who was following him wordlessly. If he didn't know better, he would assume that she had ditched him halfway and he was now walking alone, but he knew she hadn't – he had checked mere moments ago. It was weird, what passed between them just now. It would be clichéd to admit this aloud, but he knew that something changed when he caught her like that. He saw how her cheeks warmed at his wandering gaze, and he had tried his best not to ogle too much. She was wearing a clingy, form-fitting black top and it did wonders to accentuate her slim figure.

Miku had the exact kind of body he liked. She was slim, not _too_ skinny but definitely on the thinner side. She had some curve to her, which was nice. She wasn't overly busty unlike some other girls he had been with, and that was nice too. Now he could hardly prevent himself from checking her out when he thought she wasn't looking. It didn't help that he hadn't slept with anyone in…how long had it been? Less than a week, but it felt like forever for him, and that was actually frustrating.

He thought that he was jaded towards sex, since he slept around so much that it was almost starting to feel like an obligation. But he had only stopped since last Friday, making this the sixth day so far, and he was starting to feel antsy. It was all right from Friday to Sunday, since he was sick the whole time, but on Monday and Tuesday he felt a lot better and that was when the… _withdrawal_ symptoms kicked in. Was it really withdrawal? He didn't know how else to describe it. Certainly, it wasn't as bad as it sounded, but he definitely didn't feel like how he normally did. He was constantly restless, he was irritable and snappy towards anyone unfortunate enough to piss him off, and he found himself shrouded in a permanent veil of anxiety. It was slowly turning him into a nervous wreck.

He just had to find another hobby. He couldn't spend his whole life searching for sex partners, after all. Even if Miku hadn't issued him that challenge there would have ultimately been a point in his life where he settled down with _someone_ , right? Even if it wasn't his sister? He would use this period as practice for the future, and though he wasn't enjoying it at least he wasn't out of his mind with lust or anything like that. The two of them finally reached the library and they both entered the place, heading decisively towards the Reading Room. Was Miku perturbed when he looked at her that way? He was sure she had noticed his wandering gaze. She thought that they were only friends…

She probably felt awkward. He guessed that she didn't have much experience with guys – at least, that was the feeling he received from her. It was nothing surprising, given the way she disapproved of his behaviour. Oh well, as long as their friendship was still intact. "I spent yesterday looking at the song you chose," he said the moment he pushed the door open, relieved that they were no longer in the thick, muffled silence of the library. "Unfortunately if you arrange it slower it sounds weird. It was meant to be fast, you know," he frowned. "I mean, even in minor it's still…it's not a slow song. I think we should just come up with something from scratch. Do you have any ideas?" he sat on his favourite beanbag chair, one of the yellow ones facing the door. Miku hesitated, obviously wondering where she ought to sit, before she settled on the light blue beanbag opposite his. She met his gaze.

"Maybe…" her tone was cautious. He wondered at her hesitation. "There is something I'm sort of working on at the moment. Like, a personal project too. It's just…I don't know if you'd like it," she fidgeted in her beanbag, looking away from him. "Our styles are pretty different. Yours is very intense. Your music doesn't always sound extremely pleasing to the ear, but that's the beauty of it. There can be beauty in cacophony," she sighed and ran her fingers through her long fringe, sweeping her bangs away from her eyes. "But I'm more concerned about the melody. Sometimes I feel like my own work is sort of…I don't know, artificial. Especially in comparison to yours," she blurted out.

The last sentence seemed almost unwillingly uttered. Miku shut her mouth promptly after speaking those words, averting her gaze from him. Len just continued to look at her, thinking over what she said. Honestly, to him there was nothing wrong with her style. She had her own way of looking at music, and he had his. It wasn't fair to just compare their works that way. He could tell that the way they played the piano was different too, but that didn't mean she was bad at playing and this applied to her work as well. "I can't say for sure whether or not I'd like it until you actually let me see your compositions, right?" he pointed out, letting a small smile curve his lips. She blinked at him, looking startled, but she slowly reached down towards her backpack, her every movement hesitant.

He leant into the beanbag as he waited for her to take out her work. It didn't surprise him that she was carrying the score around, since she said that it was a personal project. He did that with his own pet projects too. And he never really went around showing people his compositions, so he could understand her misgivings now. She really did seem to like his work and she almost seemed to regard his pieces as perfect – if he was in her shoes, he would be nervous about taking out his own compositions as well. But the funny thing was, Len didn't think that his pieces were perfect, not the way she seemed to regard them. He knew he was good, but he also knew that he could be better.

If only he had his memories back. If he had that extra year in his memories to draw on, he was sure he could create something far better than the many pieces of paper he had in his folders at home. On some days, when he sat at his piano and played a few chords, feeling a new piece float to him from some distant corner of his mind, he felt like he could achieve anything, maybe even recall his lost past. And at other times, every single note he wrote would be wrong – nothing would work, no melody would find its way onto the blank paper he laid out before him, and he just wanted to burn everything he had ever composed and watch the orange flames devour his only higher passion.

"Here," Miku took out a single transparent folder, handing it silently over to him. When he touched the folder and pulled, he felt the slightest bit of resistance as Miku continued to hold on to it – he looked up at her, raising an eyebrow, and she let go, uncertainty all over her face. "You can take a look at it. I composed this one when my parents told me that I was coming back here, after all these years of moving around. I was just really happy, you know?" she admitted, her green eyes never leaving the folder in his hands. "I was never so inspired while composing before. So if you have any criticism for me, please take it easy, all right?" she smiled humourlessly. He nodded in response.

He could be quite a harsh critic, but since she asked he would tone it down – if he really happened to find something he disagreed with, of course. He really didn't think there would be anything wrong given Miku's level of musical proficiency. She seemed to suffer from low self-esteem or something. Why had she suddenly started comparing herself against him, anyway? He looked at the few pages of music – he could tell it wasn't finished yet since the last bar had imperfect cadence. But the bars she had…they were fine to him. He liked the melody, it seemed uplifting and that was different from what he usually came up with himself. He usually preferred moody pieces which often ranged from thunderous _crescendos_ to the softest, quietest note imaginable. This piece, from what he could see, had no such extreme ranges. There was very little indication of pedalling, and only a smattering of musical direction here and there. It was the complete opposite of what he usually veered towards.

"I like it," he looked up from the score and met her gaze when he spoke. She had been staring at him intently the whole time, and when he finally spoke to her she jumped in her seat, her expression reminding him of a startled rabbit or some other small, easily frightened animal. "It's a very happy piece. Not much direction, but that's good. Then whoever is playing can interpret the piece however they'd like. I was never a fan of too much direction anyway," he passed the folder back to her.

Granted, his compositions had more commands than Miku's piece, but there weren't so much that it became frustrating. He usually left the commands on the paper as reminders for himself, but he didn't always follow his own directions. "We could work with this, I can see this being popular at the festival…" he frowned. He didn't know who all of the judges were since there were three of them, but his music teacher was always one of the judges and she preferred cheerful little jigs like the kind Miku had composed, rather than his sad waltzes. It wasn't that she didn't like what he came up with each year, of course – if she didn't he wouldn't win every year – but she just…had her preferences.

Miku looked relieved at his words. "You think so?" she glanced at her work, then up at his face again, as though scrutinising him for any signs of lying. He nodded, somewhat amused by her suspicion, and her smile slowly spread across her face. "That's great. Then we can work on an ending for this. I was a little stuck, that's why it wasn't finished," she admitted, taking out the last sheet from the folder and indicating the last few bars. "I didn't know if I should go into a final movement or just cut it off here, and if I end it here…do I change the mood? Or do I go back to the beginning? I felt like just making a circle back to the beginning was sort of…anticlimactic. Don't you think so?" she asked.

"But that's by far the easiest way to conclude," he pointed out. She nodded at his words, biting her lip as she thought over their possibilities. Len's gaze landed on her mouth and suddenly her pink lips were the only thing he could think about – the _things_ he could do with that mouth…he shook his head quickly, thankful that Miku wasn't paying him any attention at the moment. He didn't want to focus on that just yet, not so early into their relationship, but his newfound abstinence was clearly starting to take a toll on him. "You can just scan the score and send it to my email, I'll take a look over the weekend. Lots of work for me to catch up with this week, since I skipped Monday," he explained, his words catching her attention. Miku nodded absentmindedly at what he said.

"I still have your email address so I'll just send it over tonight or maybe tomorrow," she smiled, then slid the papers back into the folder and carefully returned the folder to her backpack. "We still have some time before Music class is over and we have to go for our other classes. So what should we do now? I mean, we're not still discussing this, right?" she waved her hand towards her bag, indicating her music piece. Len shrugged – he wasn't really in the mood to think about this at the moment, and anyway they only had about twenty minutes till the bell rang anyway. They wouldn't come up with anything good in such a short period of time. But then what should they do for twenty minutes?

"Did you have a boyfriend when you went overseas?" the question suddenly slipped out from his mouth without running past his brain first. Miku stiffened and looked directly at him now, a small frown on her face. He attempted to explain himself, though he honestly didn't know why he had just stupidly asked that question. Given his reputation, he had no doubt that she thought he was trying to hit on her despite their agreement that they would simply be friends. "I'm just curious. I mean, you've been away from here for eight years. You must have run into many interesting people."

She relaxed a little. "Interesting people, yes. Plenty of them," she answered, laughing quietly. "But boyfriend…" her voice trailed off and he found himself hanging on eagerly, waiting for an answer. "I think I'll keep that a secret for now," the corner of her lips tugged slightly upwards and she averted her gaze, looking towards the door of the Reading Room. He knew his face fell, but she wasn't looking and by the time she returned her gaze to him, he was already wearing his best poker face.

"What sort of interesting people?" he asked, genuinely curious. He was disappointed that she didn't want to tell him about any possible exes – he was really interested in finding out exactly how much experience Miku had with the opposite sex – but it would be good enough to find out more about her past. Miku looked upwards at the ceiling, clearly thinking about what she ought to tell him.

"Well, there was once I was living in the city. Not the suburbs like now," she added, "but really in the big city. It was such a lively place, and it's not like here where everything is closed by eight p.m. I could still find places selling hot food at two in the morning, but that was only if I was willing to leave my house at such an ungodly hour, of course," she reminisced. "There was this homeless man who slept at the corner down the street we lived on. I walked past him every morning on the way to school, which was literally two streets across from where I lived. Sometimes, we would chat a bit and I'd give him some food or money. He always had the most interesting life lessons to share!"

"Like?" Len was drawn into her tale. Her voice ebbed over him like a smooth, gentle current. It sounded like music to his ears. She was probably an amazing singer. He could tell, though he had never heard her sing before…at least not yet. Miku laughed at the memory of some joke she had stored in her past somewhere. She shook her head, an almost teasing look on her pretty face.

"I can't tell you those tales. They're a little inappropriate," she chuckled, and he had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. There was nothing too inappropriate for Kagamine Len – there was nothing he had not seen or heard or _done_. "Even for someone like you," she added, as though perfectly aware of what he had been thinking. He swallowed – did she find him that easy to read? "Maybe when I can be sure that you won't freak out over what I tell you. But enough about me," she abruptly sobered and placed her hands in her lap, one over the other. "I want to know more about you. I mean, I don't know much about you besides your amnesia and that your mum is an amazing cook."

It was his turn to smile, though his smile was slightly more forced than her natural, bubbling laughter was. She seemed to enjoy her memories. He, on the other hand, had a love-hate relationship with his past. He badly wanted to remember it, but at the same time he hated to dwell on what had already gone by. What was the point, when all he saw was an endless blur of faces, bare limbs and incoherent whispers? His life was so routine that he never felt the urge to remember anything, much less look into those old memories and think about what happened back then. "There's nothing much to me, really. I was a boring, ordinary kid with a loving family and a twin sister. I hated school, I still don't like it, and I developed a passion for music from a young age. Trust me, I'm very boring."

"Boring? Really?" Miku didn't sound like she believed him. But he wasn't lying at all – if she really wanted more details about his past, he could delve into sordid descriptions of what he did with various different women when his family went to sleep and he was free to sneak outside, but he doubted that Miku would be interested in tales of his exploits. "Well, actually I'd rather have a boring life in one familiar place than to keep travelling around like I did," she said after a pause. "I mean, people think that it is fun to hop across the globe but…after a while it gets tiring. When your whole life consists of you just moving from place to place, you get sick of travel and you just want to settle down somewhere," she sighed. "I won't leave, not even if my parents move away. Not again."

There was something almost like melancholy in her words. He didn't know how to react – should he pretend that nothing had happened or should he try to comfort her? He had never been good at comforting people, anyway – but he couldn't just say nothing and ignore her either. She was staring right at him now and she looked almost expectant, like she wanted him to say or ask something, but his mind had gone blank and he was reduced to just staring back silently. She opened her mouth to speak just as the bell rang, signalling the end of the period and the end of their strange faceoff.

In a flash, he was out of the beanbag chair. "We should get to our next class," his tone was abrupt, though he didn't understand why he was acting this way. Miku's sudden display of sentimentality made him feel a little uncomfortable. He normally dealt pretty well with emotion – he couldn't comfort people particularly well but he was good at remaining immune to other people's feelings – so it didn't make sense that Miku's simple declaration could make him feel so…antsy. But then again, this girl with the lovely green eyes and long teal hair had made him do a lot of things he normally wouldn't have done. The promise to abstain from sex was the number one thing she had changed about him, but was she making him more… _susceptible_ to emotion too? That one, he didn't know.

"Yeah, you're right. We should," she agreed quietly, shouldering her bag and walking ahead of him, pushing the door open. They had different classes now – he didn't know what she had, but he had Advanced Chemistry to attend and he knew they wouldn't see each other until their common break later. He was actually a little relieved that he wouldn't have to talk to her, unless she decided to come over to his table to discuss their Music Festival submission or something. His thoughts were in a mess right now, and it was all because of her. He knew he hadn't been thinking straight from the very moment he asked her if she had a boyfriend before. It was such a stupid question to ask.

She would probably be more careful around him now, all because he couldn't keep his curiosity in check. Or was he overthinking things? Maybe she really assumed that it was nothing more than a casual, friendly question. He walked behind her out of the Reading Room, only saying goodbye when they reached the staircase and she had to go up the stairs while he continued walking towards the other school block, where the laboratories were. Really though, why had he asked that question? He hadn't thought at all about asking her that. His mouth just moved like it had a mind of its own.

It was irritating him that she refused to answer his question, though. Why couldn't she just say yes or no, instead of declaring this a secret? He was just asking if she had any boyfriends in the past; he wasn't proposing to her or asking her out on a date or anything. He wasn't even asking if she had a crush on _him_. Were her dates really that private to her? It wouldn't be that surprising, given the way she thought about relationships and sexuality. Maybe he could get his sister to ask if Miku ever had a boyfriend in the past…he was sure that Miku would have no qualms about telling Rin such things. It was probably because he was a boy and she felt awkward or something. He hadn't intended to ask her that question, but since he already asked then he wanted to get an answer. She couldn't just tell him that it was a secret. That wasn't answering the question, and by now he really did want to know.

He stepped out of the main entrance, heading towards the smaller block that stood a distance behind the administration building. Rin would be home earlier tonight since she didn't have any afterschool activities today, at least none that he knew of. He would ask her to find out more about Miku's love life when he next bumped into her. And if Rin asked why he was so interested to know…he would just say that he was curious, but that's all. He certainly didn't have a crush on Miku or anything like that. After all, if he did then his life wouldn't be as miserable as it was now, right?


	15. Chapter 15

"Did you hear the news?" Mizki was leaning against Miku's shoulder, sticking her tongue out as she tapped away at her phone, looking through her messages. Mizki was pretty popular in school – no surprise there – and she always seemed to have at least thirty unread texts at any given moment.

Miku, on the other hand, could easily go for a week without receiving messages from anyone. Well, besides her cousin or parents, of course. But now here, Mizki and Rin messaged or called her a lot, asking her out to café hop with them or basically just chill somewhere. Luka seemed to be too busy nowadays to talk to _any_ of them, not that Miku minded. The few times she saw Luka nowadays she was always frazzled and snappy. There were only two days left till the play, which was going to be held in a concert hall in the city. Miku, Rin and Mizki were practically obliged to go since they were friends with Luka, so they bought the tickets from her yesterday. At least, Rin and Mizki did.

Unlike them, however, she received her ticket from Kagene Rei. She bumped into him after her classes were over yesterday afternoon, and Rei had cajoled her into going to the play, talking about how it was really going to help the hospice and how it would help to grant the last wish of dying children. He totally guilt tripped her into getting the ticket despite the fact that her parents were returning on Sunday, and she already called them and told them she wouldn't be able to receive them at the airport. They were very understanding about it, but she couldn't help but feel bad about all this.

Yeah, it was for a good cause, but she would rather have donated money to the hospice. But Rei mentioned how the play itself had actors both from their school's Drama Club and the hospice they were supporting, and she felt like she had to go and support them at least. It had been her initial plan to buy the ticket and just not go, but after realising that the hospice children were personally involved in the production as well, she thought she ought to just show up. Anyway, if she didn't go she knew Luka would probably get annoyed or something, and she didn't want to anger the girl.

Rin mentioned that Len was going as well, and he would probably be sitting with them since he didn't want to be distracted – apparently the male Kagamine liked to attend plays or musicals and used them as inspiration for his music pieces. She found that she wasn't surprised by this piece of information. Len _did_ seem like that kind of person. "What news?" she asked absentmindedly when Mizki turned towards her, raising an eyebrow. It reminded her that she had yet to respond to her friend. Mizki sighed exaggeratedly and leant against her again, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Kagene Rei is throwing a party on Sunday night to commemorate the play. It'll be at MinkPink, the nightclub right opposite the Victoria Concert Hall. He's booked the whole club for the night – wow, he's rich," Mizki squinted at her phone. "Anyway, it's exclusive access only. For people who are going to the concert, you know? So keep your ticket stub after you're done," Mizki gave her a wide grin. It made her feel vaguely uncomfortable. Mizki always wore that look when she had some grand plan in store. Miku was slowly getting accustomed to Mizki's various facial expressions, and had grown remarkably adept at reading them. Mizki clearly was up to no good, judging from that smile.

"I don't know, I don't think I want to go," she said haltingly, remembering that her parents would be home that night. Mizki just rolled her eyes, turning around and grabbing her arm. Miku winced – the pink haired girl was surprisingly strong, but that wasn't really shocking. It seemed that her older brother, Yamaha Yuma, was a martial arts expert and he had clearly passed down some self-defence knowledge to his little sister. "My parents are coming back here from overseas that night. It's bad enough that I can't receive them at the airport…I don't think I should stay out late that night either. Besides, isn't the next day a school day?" she subtly tried to remove her arm from Mizki's grip.

The girl refused to let go. "Yeah, it is, but who cares?" she beamed, answering flippantly. "And come _on_ , Miku. You need to have some fun. You haven't been out to see the nightlife ever since you came back here, and I swear the only interesting thing around these parts is the nightlife. You would not imagine the number of clubs and parties going on in the city. Man, I sure wish I lived in the city," Mizki sounded wistful for a moment, but promptly brightened up once more. "I'm sure your parents will understand. We're like, eighteen years old already. And we only just started to live our lives!"

The thing was, Miku knew Mizki was right. Her parents _would_ understand. As long as she kept up her otherwise good behaviour, maintained her grades and didn't start playing truant the way she used to, her parents would gladly let her spend one night out, even if it was a school day the next day. In fact, they would probably be relieved that she was spending time with other people again. Miku had gone through several phases in her life – from school rebel to _major_ school rebel to social butterfly and now, the social recluse. Her parents had been happiest for her when she was the butterfly.

"I don't _want_ to, Mizki," Miku decided to whine, hoping that this would convince the ridiculously stubborn girl clinging on to her arm. "I don't like crowds. I just want to spend time at home with my family. I haven't seen my parents in two weeks," she reminded her. Mizki just rolled her green eyes.

"Please! Yuma and I haven't seen our parents in two _years_ ," she reminded Miku too. Miku couldn't argue with that – the Yamaha parents seemed to be practically non-existent. Mizki and Yuma were cared for by a fleet of butlers and servants, but the parental figures themselves were noticeably absent. Mizki said that her parents couldn't deal with having children and spent most of their time travelling around the world and doing luxurious rich people things. On the bright side, Mizki had been raised by her older brother and her favourite nanny, so at least she hadn't turned out a spoilt brat…not _completely_ , at any rate. Mizki was by far the richest person Miku had ever known. She visited Mizki's house after school yesterday, and she was honestly astounded by what she saw.

"Well, my parents aren't as rich as yours. They can't just go around the world sightseeing," Miku argued in return. She saw Mizki start to pout and she sighed, not wanting this to turn into a full-fledged fight. And maybe some secret part of her did want to go to the party. That small, secret side to her that no one besides her and her parents knew anything about – and perhaps Rei, who had seen her when they were younger, when even then she refused to conform to school's policies. No matter how much she studied and tried to be a good, diligent student, Miku knew that there would always be a part of her which was up for adventure and for breaking the rules. She hated that part of her, but she couldn't suppress it completely. As long as it didn't overtake her, she was fine with it.

Maybe she ought to give in for once and just have some fun. Nothing bad could possibly happen if she was there with Mizki. Besides, Rei was the one hosting the party, right? Rei was nice. She didn't think anything illegal would happen. "All right, fine. I'll go, but I'm not staying for long," she finally relented. Mizki let out a squeal of excitement and threw her arms around Miku, hugging her tightly. Miku started to choke. "Mizki, let go!" she tried to break free, but the girl just continued to latch on to her. She was only saved when two people came towards them, catching Mizki's attention.

Rin stood in front of them, staring at them quizzically, with Len leaning against the wall next to her. They were in the school courtyard, lounging on one of the stone benches, and Miku noticed that she and Mizki had been attracting quite a bit of attention. When she met the gazes of those who were staring at them, the other students promptly looked away. She hoped that they didn't think there was anything going on between her and Mizki. It hadn't been the first time rumours had started up with regards to her sexual orientation, and she certainly didn't want this to happen again. She didn't have anything against homosexuality, but personally she was straight and she didn't want to be mistaken for otherwise. It was sort of embarrassing to be hit on by girls she barely even knew.

"What are you two doing?" Rin asked, something almost like amusement in her voice. Mizki, whose arms were still around Miku, seemed to realise how close they were and immediately let go of her, still grinning from ear to ear. She didn't seem fazed at all by the way Rin was clearly judging her. Miku assumed that this wasn't the first time the outspoken Mizki had gotten herself into such a situation. "If I didn't know better I'd ask if you had the hots for Miku, but we all know you have a thing for Luka's little brother. Which is sort of weird since he's like, sixteen, but whatever suits you," Rin giggled, hoisting the straps of her backpack up her shoulders. Len rolled his eyes – Miku noticed because she had been paying attention to him the whole time Rin was talking. He caught her gaze and gave her a small smile, just a brief curve of his lips. She smiled back at him, glad to see him.

She didn't know why she felt so relieved to see Len here, but she was just happy. It was the same kind of happiness she felt when she saw Rin or Mizki – okay, so it wasn't so much for Mizki, but it was there nevertheless. They were all her friends, after all. And Rei, too…she still had yet to text him, which was something he had pointed out when he gave her the ticket yesterday, but he said it in such a jovial manner that she couldn't be sure if he really minded or not. Should she say hi to him? He had given her his number, after all. Would it be rude if she pretended that nothing happened?

"I managed to convince Miku to go to Rei's party this Sunday. I'm so excited! It's going to be the _best_ ," Mizki declared, rising from the bench and slinging an arm around Rin's neck. The blonde looked faintly uncomfortable in Mizki's chokehold, not that the taller girl seemed to care. Mizki was almost as tall as Luka, who towered over her and Rin. Both Mizki and Luka could probably be models or something. They looked kind of similar too, since both of them had long pink hair. "Rei has the most awesome parties. Remember that time someone set the carpet in his house on fire with lighter fluid?" Mizki laughed to herself. "Oh, and I don't know how, but he always manages to get the best beer. He even has wine and champagne! No way am I missing out on a party hosted by Kagene Rei."

Miku took everything back. Going to this party definitely sounded like a bad idea. She had no clue that the perfect Vice President could organise something so…so wild. He definitely wasn't anything like what she assumed him to be. Len looked amused. "Oh yeah, I remember that. I saw the burning carpet. Idiot tried to spell his name in flames. Rei almost got his house burnt down and Luka took him off Student Council duty for a month, I think. But hey, his parents sued and they won so they didn't lose anything in the end, I guess," Len yawned. Then he caught Miku's eye again and came over to her, sitting beside her while Mizki and Rin chattered about what to wear that night. She was fretting.

"You don't need to be worried about the party," Len lowered his voice so that the two girls wouldn't be able to hear him. "Rei has toned down a lot from his previous years. Even people like Rei have flaws, believe it or not, and his is that he never knows when to stop. He's a person of extremes. But I guess he got sick of his neighbours calling the police on him. Besides," Len chuckled, "we're going to a club for his party this year so I don't think there's going to be anything too serious involved. He can't go around destroying other people's property, after all. And we're all going, even me," Len grinned at her. She gave him a small smile, feeling mildly better but still reconsidering her decision to attend.

"I just don't really know if I want to go," she sighed. "Mizki seemed so disappointed when I said I didn't want to. I have to tell my parents not to expect me home until late, too…maybe I should just go home right after the play. But I didn't want to drag her down, you know?" they looked towards Mizki, who was laughing at something Rin had said. She didn't know if anyone else could tell, but Mizki sometimes seemed to be very lonely. She always masked it with exuberance and excitement, and was probably one of the most aggressive girls she had ever met, but sometimes when she was quiet and thinking Miku thought she could see something deeper in her green eyes. There was a lot more to Mizki than the shallow image she liked to portray. Len just shrugged, looking back at her.

"It's your choice, in the end. If you don't want to go, Mizki can't do anything about it either," he told her firmly. She nodded in response, and his gaze seemed to soften. "I'm going. Rin is going, and since she's going to be there she'll need the company. I don't want any guys messing around with her, and Kaito is basically useless when it comes to chasing people away. He's too nice for his own good," he rolled his eyes, and Miku laughed a little – that certainly seemed to be true. She had spoken to Kaito a few times over the week since he was Rin's boyfriend, and the boy did seem to be genuinely nice. She could see why Rin would like him. "Plus Rin doesn't have as much experience with the nightlife in the city as I do. I don't think I want to just leave her alone with Kaito and Mizki all night,' his tone was dry. Miku just nodded in agreement, and for a while both of them just remained silent.

"Hey, Len, Mizki and I are going shopping," Rin suddenly popped over to them and declared. "We need new clothes for our wardrobe. Miku, do you want to come along?" Mizki bobbed up next to Rin, excitement written all over her face. But Miku knew she could not go. She would feel bad about just spending time outside and not studying. She wasn't naturally extremely intelligent – she was smart enough to maintain a very good GPA, but not without plenty of hard work and dedication.

"I need to go home and study. There's going to be a class quiz on Monday, and if we're going to the party on Sunday night then I'd better prepare for it," she explained. Rin and Mizki took her excuse surprisingly well and left, Rin telling Len that she would be out with Kaito afterwards and that he shouldn't expect her home for dinner. Len waved her off with a few crude jokes about how she ought to spend the night, earning him a punch in the shoulder, and then the two girls headed out of the courtyard towards the school gates. Len turned towards her when the two of them were gone.

"Guess that just leaves you and me," he shrugged. "You want a ride home? Since we're going the same way anyway," he looked up towards the sky, narrowing his bright blue eyes against the sun. Miku gaped at him, startled by what he had just said – she never knew that he could drive, or that he even had a car. If he had a car, then why was Rin always complaining about Len making them late for the bus in the morning? They could always just drive over from home if they had a car, right?

"Since when did you have a car?" she blurted out. Len looked down from the sky and blinked at her, apparently just as surprised as she was. Then the look of mild confusion melted away and he gave her a blinding grin – she didn't want to admit it, but that smile made her heart skip a beat – and reached into his pocket, pulling out a set of car keys. She gasped. That was definitely a Ferrari car.

"I've always had a car. But Rin, who _clearly_ can't drive properly – I have no idea how she managed to get her license – managed to smash my car into a tree a while back. I just got it repaired yesterday, so for once I didn't have to take the stupid bus to school in the morning," he spun the keys around his index finger. "There's a reason why my parents bought a car for me and not Rin," he added, his tone souring a little. "I was stupid enough to lend her my car, and she destroyed it about fifteen minutes after driving away from our house. I'm never letting her into the driver's seat again, but oh well."

Miku still couldn't get over the fact that Len had a Ferrari. "I guess that you don't use the car for family excursions?" she asked, feeling stupid about the question – but she didn't know _very_ much about cars and all she knew was that Ferrari was really expensive and made sports cars. From what she knew, sports cars didn't have more than two seats usually. Len snorted and shook his head.

"Hardly. Honestly, my dad got me a Ferrari because he wanted to show off how rich he was that year. He got a major bonus, so yeah…we had money to burn. When we want to drive out as a family we use his car instead. It's a four-seater Volvo, very family friendly. The two seats at the back can act as massage chairs," he smirked. "I can ask him to let you give it a whirl some time. My mother told him about you, and he quite likes you, you know," he laughed to himself. Her face warmed at what he said. Did his mother really think that she was romantically attached to Len? There was absolutely nothing going on between them! And it was embarrassing to realise his mother thought otherwise.

"It's all right, let's just go," she said hastily, rising from her seat and grabbing her bag along with her. Len gave her a curious look, but he followed her and they headed off in the direction of the school's carpark. When she looked across the many parking lots, she could almost immediately identify which one was Len's car – it was the sleek black two-seater sports car hiding in the shade at the very end of a long row of parking lots, and someone was standing right in front of it. She couldn't tell who it was from such a distance, but Len seemed to recognise the figure and quickened his step. She followed suit.

"Rei, you're not going to give me a ticket or something right?" Len hurried over to the figure, which Miku was now recognising to be Kagene Rei. Rei turned around, his lips twitching – it was only then that Miku saw the yellow text painted onto the floor, right in front of the parking lot. _Student Council Vice President_ , she read slowly, and abruptly realised why Rei was standing in front of Len's car.

"I really should send you for detention, Len. You know this is my parking spot. I couldn't find a place for my car this morning, and it almost made me late for History," Rei rolled his golden eyes, but he didn't seem to be really mad. "But hey, this is really a beauty," he turned towards the Ferrari, something almost like longing in his tone. Len just nodded and promptly began to talk about his car's specifications while Rei listened avidly, his gaze constantly fixed upon the sports car. Miku could appreciate the sleek beauty of the car, but she didn't get the point of talking about the engine and firepower and whatnot so she tuned the boys out, daydreaming about what she would do at home.

After a while, Rei seemed to notice that she was here. "Oh! Miku!" he broke Len's monologue, turning towards her and giving her a charming smile. Just like Len's dazzling grin earlier, she felt her insides flutter at that smile. Not as much as it did for Len, but noticeable nevertheless. She hoped that maybe it was just because she ate something bad for lunch, since she certainly did not have a crush on either Len or Rei and she didn't want it to start now. Crushes would just distract her from her goals and studies, especially since Len and Rei were equally handsome… "Are you two going somewhere? I'm sorry about holding you up," he ran a hand through his messy black hair and grinned awkwardly, standing aside. "Just don't do this again, Kagamine! And maybe you could let me try this baby out one of these days. You know, as compensation," he joked. Len just rolled his eyes and laughed.

"I didn't know the Vice President accepted bribes now, but I'll keep that in mind," he made a joke of his own. "And we're not going anywhere, I'm driving her home since we're neighbours," he added to clarify, saving her the trouble of doing so herself. Rei looked a little surprised, but he managed to hide his expression and just smiled and waved goodbye again. Just as they were getting in though, the dark boy asked them another question, one she had been trying very hard not to think about.

"Are you two coming to MinkPink on Sunday night? It'll be great to see you there. I got DJ Forza in and as everyone knows, he's one of the most in-demand DJs at the moment," Rei threw them a sly grin. It was not an expression she was used to seeing on Rei's face. But then again, she had her own _bad_ side to her. Rei probably did as well, and she was only seeing that now. Len blinked, the name apparently making sense to him though she didn't feel anything at all about DJ Forza. What sort of name was that? She had never really been much of a clubber. She didn't like noise and crowds.

"Oh sure, I'm definitely going if DJ Forza is there," Len said fervently. "I hope this year is as good as your last. _Last_ year is something no one in school is ever going to forget," Len slid into the driver's seat as he spoke, waving at Miku to get into the car. She opened the door and strapped herself in, very conscious of the fact that she was sitting in an expensive luxury sports car. Rei snorted.

"Well, I certainly hope otherwise. My neighbours still hate me for it," he whined, though she saw the teasing glint in his eye and knew that he wasn't being serious. Whatever happened last year had probably been very exciting. She made a mental note to ask Len about it later. As though he had read her mind, however, Rei added, "Don't tell Miku anything about what happens at my parties! Let her have a little surprise when she comes on Sunday night," he looked directly at her now and gave her yet another smile. It was a warm smile, nothing like the playful grins he had given to both her and Len. "I really hope you'll be there. I'd love to see you soon, Miku," he winked at her, and she felt her face warm once more. She had been blushing a lot lately. Then Rei waved and walked away.

Len started up the ignition and pulled out from the parking lot, and both of them remained quiet for a while – she didn't know what he was thinking about, but she was definitely considering what Rei had said. The car sped quietly along the road, though Len was careful never to go too fast, and she could feel the wind in her face as her long hair streamed out behind her. She didn't feel worried about being in the car – Len seemed to be a pretty safe driver – but she knew she wouldn't want to be in the same vehicle when Rin was driving. Rin would probably destroy everything within a two-mile radius. Finally, as they drove down another road that would lead to their suburb, Len spoke.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that Rei likes you," Len's fingers were curled tightly around the steering wheel. She looked over at him curiously, but his gaze was fixed intently on the road ahead. She didn't know how she was supposed to react. ' _If I didn't know better_ '? What was that supposed to imply? That no one could possibly find her attractive, or that Rei already liked someone else?

"What do you mean when you say that?" she asked, unsure if she really wanted the answer. Len didn't respond immediately – he turned down the road and she started to see the outskirts of the suburb. They passed by the Vietnamese place where they had their _pho_ and ran into Sukone Tei. She winced at the memory of the crazed girl with the silver hair and vivid red eyes. She certainly hoped that she wouldn't run into her again. She hadn't spotted Tei lurking around their school or anything, but she figured that it would only be a matter of time before she popped up around Len once more.

"I…well, from what I hear Rei doesn't…like girls," Len sounded unsure himself. "I mean, it's just a rumour. And anyway, to make it even more confusing Rei has explicitly stated before that he isn't gay. He was interviewed for the school's tabloid magazine, the trashy one that no one but the fangirls ever read," he rolled his eyes when he turned briefly towards her and saw the quizzical look on her face. "He didn't confirm or deny the rumours that he doesn't like girls though. Honestly, I don't know if Rei actually likes people or not. He might be asexual for all I know. I don't really care, but I overhear Rin and Mizki gossiping about people sometimes, and I just kind of remember."

"That's silly," Miku stated, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, I don't expect him to like me or anything. I'm not interested in having a relationship with anyone at the moment," she added, just to make things very clear. Len turned down the street, heading towards her place. She could see her house at the very end of the street, and suddenly she didn't feel like she want to lose his company just yet.

"That's good. I mean, it's great that you don't want to be in a relationship at the moment. Focus on your studies, you know?" his words sounded flat, and in her secret opinion he didn't seem very genuine at all. Maybe he thought she was a prude, but hey, she wasn't living her life to make him happy. If he really wanted to be her friend then he was going to have to accept her for all she did or said, even if her aspirations in life didn't align exactly with his. Before she could open her mouth to defend herself however, he pulled up right outside her door and waited for her to get out of the car.

She hesitated. She still didn't want to stop talking to him just yet. "Why don't you come in and sit for a while?" she finally suggested. He looked at her with surprise in his gaze. "I mean, I still don't know what to wear for Sunday. I've never really been to a club…only once or twice, and that was a while ago. Some of my friends sneaked into a club once when we were underage, and I just followed them then. I've never gone back," she sighed, "and I don't know what to wear that wouldn't be too loud or too conservative. I don't want to have to change after the play itself, you know?" since Len seemed to have plenty of experience with the party scene, she had no doubt that he could help her out here.

Len blinked. "Uh, sure…if that's what you want, sure. I'll pull up outside your garage then," he made the manoeuvre expertly, much to her amazement. She had never been able to park properly, which was one reason why she still had yet to get her license. That, along with the fact that she moved all over the place. Different places had different traffic rules. Her parents had mastered the art of driving in both the left and right seat, since different countries had different cars and roads. She didn't think she would ever be able to do that. She could hardly drive down a road without running over the kerb, and she imagined that Rin was similar in that aspect. But at least Rin had a license.

Both of them got out of the car. She was sure that no one would try to steal his Ferrari or anything – most of the people who lived on her street, according to her observations, were either middle-aged or the elderly. To be honest, her area was pretty boring. But that was just what she liked. Boring but safe, at least. She had enough of being a reckless rebel. With Len standing directly behind her, she got so nervous that she fumbled while unlocking the door, and she hoped that he didn't notice that.

The first thing they did after she locked the door behind them was to leave their bags in the living room and go straight up to her wardrobe. She did pour him some water before they went up though. Miku was pretty thankful that she had gradually unpacked all her clothes over the week, and everything was now hanging neat and tidy in her room. She was also thankful that she hadn't lived here long enough for there to be lots of personal items scattered all over the place. Not that she had many personal items to begin with, but since she was an only child she did leave her tampons lying around sometimes and she didn't always keep her underwear straightaway when she was done with the laundry. Thankfully, Len didn't have to see any of that. She hadn't even done the laundry yet.

"Wow, your room is nice," Len mused as he came into her private space, looking around. "Very modern, I like it," he sat on her chair, which she had tucked up against her desk. Suddenly, he looked apprehensive. "You know, I'm probably not the best person to ask with regards to fashion since I'm not…I'm not a girl, you know. It might be better if you asked Rin or Mizki," he blurted out, looking incredibly uncomfortable. But Miku rolled her eyes at his suggestion, throwing open her wardrobe.

"In case you forgot, both of them are shopping right now," she reminded him. "If I admitted that I had no idea what to wear, they would have probably pulled me along with them, and I honestly can't afford to spend the whole day going shopping. I have work to catch up on," she took out two dresses, a sleek black cocktail dress and a frilly champagne affair adorned with lace and ribbons. She had no idea why she had the latter dress. She probably bought it impulsively back when she resolved to cultivate her good girl image, but she had never gotten around to wearing the frilly thing out.

"That dress is hideous," Len didn't mince his words, pointing at the champagne frock she had been staring at just moments ago. "The black one is a little too formal for a club though. I'd wear that to a funeral or something, if I was a girl," he grimaced. "Do you have anything else?" he leant back in the chair and watched her lazily, his hands folded over his stomach. Miku dove back into her clothes, tossing the two rejected dresses onto her bed. "Not that one," he interrupted as she reached out for a lime mini-dress. Miku scowled and let her hand move on towards the other hangers.

"Well, I'd say you're doing just as good a job as Rin and Mizki," she pointed out after Len rejected three more dresses after that. Miku had many, many dresses. She also had quite a few oversized sweaters and way too many pairs of skinny jeans, but she didn't think she could wear those to a club. "You're fussier than Rin!" she declared, rifling through her remaining dresses. Len had suggested something black, short and simple, preferably off the shoulder or with some artfully placed cut outs around the waist. She unfortunately didn't seem to have anything which fit the description.

"Hey, you asked me to help you choose something," Len defended himself. "I'm just telling you what I see most girls wearing to clubs! You don't have to dress up that nicely, you know. It's not like you'll see a lot of people from outside school, anyway," Len yawned, reaching up to ruffle his hair. Today, his ponytail hung low against the nape of his neck. She actually sort of liked it when it was hanging low like that. When he tied it up too high, it made him look really young. When it was low, on the other hand, he seemed more mature and…sexier? No, she definitely shouldn't be thinking that.

"Yeah, sure," Miku groused, picking out another black dress. This one was really short, so she hadn't pulled it out the first time she looked through her wardrobe. She held it up against herself – the dress was padded at the bust and it had no straps, with a flattering sweetheart neckline and a tulle skirt. She remembered she bought this for a Halloween costume, when she chose to dress up as the Black Swan ballerina. The movie had been really popular that year. She didn't think she wanted to recreate that kind of look so she started to put it back, but Len called out and told her to stop.

"Try it on, would you?" he asked, eyeing the dress intently. She nodded, heading out towards the bathroom so she could change, but his next few words stopped her before she could place her hand on the doorknob. "Here. In front of me," his voice had turned low and husky, and when she slowly turned back to look at him, she noticed him staring hungrily at her. He was still seated, but all of a sudden she didn't feel very safe. It was as though he could pounce on her at any moment.

"You know that wouldn't be right," she answered, her tone snappy. She tried to tone it down a little – she was shocked, yes, but she knew she didn't have to sound rude. Or maybe she could be rude. She was a little confused by his behaviour now, actually. "Just stay here and I'll be right back," she ducked out of the room before he had a chance to say anything. She half-expected him to get up from the chair and follow her, but her door remained closed and she let out a sigh of relief, heading down the hallway towards her common bathroom so that she could change into the black dress.

Was he joking? That had to be a joke, because there was no way he could possibly have meant what he said. They were just friends after all, and he had promised…he resolved not to sleep with anyone, and she made it clear before that she didn't want to have any sort of sexual relationship with him. It had to be a joke or prank or something, but whatever it was, Miku didn't find it particularly funny.

She hoped that Len wouldn't still act that way when she came back to her room later. Otherwise, she might just be forced to kick him out of her house, and since he was a friend, she didn't really want to do that. Even she, the social recluse and former rebel, knew that would be very rude, and she didn't want to be too rude to Len when they were just starting to become actual friends. She would just forget about what he said and ignore the hunger she had seen in his gaze, and they would just move on from that point. At least, she would try to move on. Len better not say anything weird to her again, otherwise she wouldn't just pretend that nothing had happened.


	16. Chapter 16

She must have grown a little taller since she bought this outfit. Of course, when she was twelve years old this black dress hadn't seemed quite so tight or…short. It barely reached the middle of her thighs, and the tulle skirt wasn't helping to cover much either. And the padded bustier was making it difficult for her to breathe. It forced her breasts together, giving her the illusion of cleavage.

Miku eyed her reflection in the bathroom suspiciously, her eyes unwillingly drawn to her boobs. She had _never_ had cleavage before, and she didn't want to start now. There was no way she would be wearing this out of the house. Besides, it certainly didn't seem appropriate for a play put on by children. She definitely had to find something else to wear, even if Len insisted that this was a good outfit. Thinking of Len made her bite her lip. She hadn't forgotten what he said before she left the room. She was trying not to think too much about it, but she felt a little nervous about going back.

Sighing, she reached up to the back of her dress to try and unzip the damned thing. It had taken many tries and a few muttered curses before the stupid corset would close up behind her. She had almost broken a nail in the process of zipping her dress up. But to her horror, the zip seemed to be stuck – try as she might, she couldn't pull the zipper down more than two inches or so. She didn't want to break the zip or tear the dress apart or anything – it was a pretty expensive costume – and she collapsed onto the toilet, panting from the exertion. Her fingers were very sore, but the zip was still stuck.

She glared at herself in the mirror. How was she able to zip this up yet fail to unzip it fully? She shouldn't have tried to force herself into a dress meant for a prepubescent child. Of course, it was shocking to see that she could still fit into something she bought six years ago, but clearly when she was younger she was as flat as a washboard. Miku was probably still as skinny now as she was when she was a child, just now she had two lumps of fat on her chest. They weren't even _that_ big – she was only a B cup – but apparently, that was enough to overwhelm her outfit. What should she do now?

Of course, she could ask Len for help, but that would mean he would see her half-naked. Unless she managed to hold the dress up, grab her clothes and run out of the room before the unzipped dress fell to her ankles. She knew she didn't have any alternative besides staying in this dress all day – Rin and Mizki never picked up their phones when they were shopping, and it wasn't like she was friends with anyone else. She couldn't possibly bother Luka, and the only other person she spoke to was Rei. There was no way she would ask Rei for help with this, it would be the same as going to Len. Both of them were guys, and she didn't _want_ any guys to see her with half her boobs spilling out of her top.

Looking around the bathroom, she noticed her towel hanging on the metal bar behind the door. Struck by an idea, she took the towel and wrapped it around the upper half of her body, leaving the back open so that the zip was accessible but her front was covered. She felt better about her situation already. Trying to mentally prepare herself, she left her original clothes in her bathroom so that she could come back here the moment the zip was undone, and then she slowly made her way back to her room, still nervous about facing Len in this state. She wondered what he was doing while he waited for her to come back. Listening from the outside corridor, she felt like her room sounded suspiciously quiet.

Taking in a deep breath – her chest could barely expand because of how constricted it was – she twisted the doorknob and walked into her room, looking around for Len. She saw the blond boy still seated on her chair, and noticed that he was reading one of her poetry books. It was one of her favourites – 'Ariel', by Sylvia Plath. The perfect volume for someone going through bouts of teenage angst and misery. Len looked up when she entered her room. "Hey, that looks pretty nice – at least, from what I can see of it," his tone was almost snarky. She was just relieved that he wasn't being weird like just now. It seemed as though he had entirely forgotten about his behaviour, which was good. She didn't want to bring it up or talk about it because that would just make things awkward.

"I'm not wearing this to the play," she complained. "It's way too tight and short to be appropriate. The dress code is smart casual, not slutty," she tightened her grip on the towel, using her free hand to smooth down the back of her tulle skirt. The tulle would have been cute on a child since the skirt was fluffy and very princess-like, but on her she just looked…she looked like she was trying to be a sexualised doll or something equally kinky. That definitely wasn't the kind of look she was going for.

"You can wear a cardigan over it. Or better yet, a blazer," Len mused, placing one finger on his lips and looking her up and down. Her book was set face down on his lap. "I can lend you mine to wear if you want," he raised one eyebrow, blue eyes gleaming with good humour. She didn't know how to respond to that and settled for shaking her head mutely, her fingers clenched so tightly around her towel that it started to hurt. He sighed. "I still think you look great in this. Everything else you have isn't what I'd wear to a club," he looked at her half-open wardrobe, his expression dismissive.

"Then maybe I shouldn't go," she blurted out, catching his attention again. He looked surprised by what she said and opened his mouth, but she continued before he could interrupt her. "I don't even really want to go. I'm just going because everyone is asking me to, and I guess there's no harm in taking a look since it's been a while since I last went out late. But if I have to dress up just to do that, then it's too much trouble," she flipped some of her hair over her shoulder, carefully pulling it out so that it wasn't trapped beneath the towel. Len seemed to be thinking over her words.

"Well, no one is forcing you to go," he reasoned, his hands placed on top of her book. "If you don't want to go then…it's your choice, but I'm sure Rei, Rin and Mizki would all be disappointed if you don't show up," he pointed out. She gritted her teeth – he was speaking the truth, but she didn't want to be the kind of person who went along with something just because everyone else was doing the same thing. "Anyway, let me know if you don't want to go. If you don't go…" he met her gaze, his blue eyes unreadable – the good humour she had seen a while ago was entirely gone – and his lips pursed, "then I guess I won't be going either. It'd be boring without you around, to be honest."

She blinked, surprised by his declaration. "Hey, you should still go even if I don't. You're the one who was excited about the DJ, and you said that you have to look out for Rin, right?" she said hastily. She didn't want to be the cause of him not going – if she really happened to be the reason, of course. Would he really not attend just because she didn't want to go? That didn't make any sense at all.

"Yuma told me just now that he's going," Len drew his phone out from his jeans pocket and waved it at her. "Mizki's older brother, you know? If he's going, then I'm not worried at all about my sister," Len closed his eyes and leant back in the chair. "Yuma's really good at fighting and he's so protective of his baby sister that no guys will be able to come close to them the whole night. And as for the DJ...I could always attend another party with him playing. He's so in-demand right now that it won't be long before he pops up again. Music alone isn't enough to make me go to a club. Plus I don't get drunk easily, unlike my sister, so it's not going to be fun for me. Clubbing is only fun when you're high," he yawned, his eyes still closed. "So to sum it all up – basically, if you don't go, I won't go."

"This feels like a threat," she muttered, shooting him a dark look. He wasn't looking at her, but his lips tilted up into a small smile and she figured that he probably heard her. "You _want_ to go, don't you?" she accused, glaring at him now. Len just shrugged, keeping his eyes shut. He didn't make any other reply. Miku sighed. "I'll go, but only for like, an hour. And you need to promise to drive me home afterwards," she decided on a compromise. He grinned, one of his blue eyes flicking open.

"Consider it done," he answered jovially, getting up from the chair and placing her book back on her bookshelf. "And let me help you with your zipper," he seemed to be hiding a laugh as he spoke, his hand covering his mouth. She fidgeted – how had he known about her problem? She opened her mouth to ask, but he cut in before she could say anything. "It's really obvious. The way you're holding on to your towel…your zip must be stuck, right? And you didn't want me to see anything that you didn't intend for me to see," he let his hand fall back to his side, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, I'm glad you know that I don't mean to show you anything," she narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed by the way he kept finding amusement at her expense. He simply smiled and approached her, and she hesitantly turned to show him her back, the two ends of the towel draped carelessly over her shoulder blades. Len paused, looking at her back, and after a while of him not saying or doing anything, she started to wonder if there was something wrong. "What's the problem?" she asked, turning her head so that she could look at him. He was just staring at her back with a frown on his face.

"I'm trying to figure out what the problem is. Your zipper looks perfectly fine to me, so why are you wearing a towel like it's a cape or something?" he mused, looking up to meet her gaze. She didn't want to answer the question. The towel wasn't meant to cover her back – it was her front that she was more concerned about. Why did this dress have to be so low-cut? And how had she not noticed this when she was twelve years old? Maybe it was because back then, the curve of the sweetheart neckline had not been a problem.

"My zipper didn't get stuck halfway or anything, but it won't go more than two inches down. Just hurry up and help me undo it," she grumbled, her embarrassment making her snappy. Len shrugged and did as she wanted, his fingers tugging down on the zipper. He encountered the same problem she did, and after a few more tugs he started to mutter quietly to himself – Len was evidently much more vocal about his frustration with the zipper than she had been. "It's not working?" she asked, turning her head again to look at him. Len was pulling at the zipper now, annoyance all over his face.

"What the hell did you do to this zipper?" he groused, tugging again. "I'm more worried about breaking it than unzipping it at this point. Is it stuck on the fabric inside?" without asking, he pulled on the back of her dress and peered down at the zipper, ignoring her yelp of surprise. Unbidden, her face warmed. Len was a guy – an attractive guy at that – and he was currently staring down the back of her dress. "Hey, you're not wearing a bra…" he realised, abruptly letting go. The material snapped back into place and she lurched forward a little. She glared at him, her face probably still red.

"Nice observation!" she practically shouted. Len blinked, shocked by her sudden anger. "Don't do that! You're not supposed to just go around looking down people's tops!" she fumed, still holding on to her towel. She had half a mind to take the towel off and start hitting Len with it like it was a whip, but she didn't want to betray her modesty. "Anyway, is the material stuck?" she demanded, calming down a little. Len, who still seemed stunned by her uncharacteristic outrage, nodded mutely. "Well, then get it out!" she looked away from him, her face still warm. Why did he have to do that to her?

She felt a gentle pull on the back of her dress – Len seemed a lot more hesitant about being near her now – and, after a little more tugging, he unzipped the dress and she felt the tightness around her chest disappear, finally allowing her to breathe. She greedily took in a big gulp of air – the corset hadn't been suffocating her, but breathing did hurt a little and she thought that her torso might be slightly bruised now. "Thanks, I guess," she muttered, reaching behind her to hold her dress up.

"No problem," Len moved so that he was standing right in front of her now, peering curiously into her face. "Are you all right? You look a little red," he said suspiciously, tilting his head. She shot up and hastily stumbled backwards, away from Len. He approached her, still looking concerned – but she didn't believe that he was really just worried about her. There was no way Len didn't know that she was embarrassed about everything which happened just now. His eyes danced with humour despite his question, and she bit down on her lip, resisting the urge to start shouting at him again.

"I'm fine!" she snapped. "I'm going to change out of this dress right now, so don't follow me!" she shoved her body against his, forcing him out of the way, and quickly dashed out of the room towards her bathroom, where her clothes were waiting for her. She was glad that she could finally get out of this dress. She had never worn anything so revealing before, and she didn't intend to start either.

Len sighed and shook his head as the door closed gently behind Miku, a small grin gracing his lips. It had been fun, watching her get worked up that way. He figured that she was using the towel to hide the front of her dress since there wasn't anything wrong with the back, and wondered what was so bad about the front such that she had to conceal it this way. Maybe it showed too much cleavage – he remembered the plunging neckline of the dress and recalled that it dipped down quite a bit. It would be a lie to say that he didn't want to see her without that towel on, but he could control himself.

He knew he had slipped up earlier, and that was frustrating. It had only been what, a week since he last had sex? Why was he so annoyed all the time then? Did it really have something to do with his newfound abstinence? Either way, he hadn't been able to resist hitting on her when she was trying to decide on what to wear for the party. She was a girl, warm and tantalisingly soft, and she had been standing mere metres away from him. He just couldn't help himself, and he hated himself for his lack of self-control. He decided that he wouldn't behave that way again, not so soon at least.

Other than his twin sister, who lived in the same house as him, Miku was the closest he had come to a girl in a while. He didn't allow himself to spend too much time around the opposite gender since he didn't want to make Miku's challenge any harder than it already was for himself. So the moment he was in a confined space like this…it didn't help that Miku was exactly the kind of girl he preferred, and she seemed to sort of trust him too. At least she trusted him enough to let him into her house without any other company, and watch her as she picked clothes out and held them up against her body. He groaned.

Glancing at her bookshelf, he sought out the book he had been reading while he waited for Miku to finish changing. He wasn't much of a poetry person, preferring fantasy novels over anything else, but Miku didn't have much from that genre. Most of her books seemed to belong to either the romance or supernatural genres. It wasn't surprising given that she was a girl – not that he was trying to push her into any gender stereotypes or anything, but from his personal observations girls seemed to like these genres more than any other. He had absolutely no idea why, they were far too sappy for him.

Anyway, he didn't recognise any of her novels so he took a look at her poetry. It seemed like Miku was an avid reader of poetry, with books from all sorts of poets he had never even heard of. He knew Sylvia Plath though, she was the poet who had killed herself by shutting herself in the oven or something, right? He took the book since it was the only name he knew and spent some time reading through the poetry. He was on 'Lady Lazarus' now, and had read halfway through it when Miku came back in. He didn't know if he should take the book down and continue reading, or just wait quietly for Miku to return again. Poetry was great, but he wasn't in the mood to really _feel_ it at the moment.

Before he had to think any further though, Miku was back, holding the black dress in her arms. She tossed the dress onto the bed, giving him a look as she did so – she still seemed pretty flustered, to his surprise. He thought she would have gotten over it by now. He hadn't seen anything indecent, anyway. "Do you still want me to choose something for you?" he offered, scratching the back of his head. She inhaled, then nodded and pointed at her closet, wordlessly telling him to look himself.

He did as she wanted, going over to her wardrobe and searching through the various dresses she had hung up on the rack. Miku had a surprising number of dresses. She probably had enough dresses to wear a different one every day for three months. Most of them were light summer dresses though, or long gowns clearly meant for formal occasions. He didn't see much that was appropriate for nightlife. Not that he had a fantastic eye for fashion himself – he didn't particularly care about style and trends – but he knew at least what was wearable for different situations and what was not.

He pushed the dresses apart, searching for something that wasn't white or pale yellow or blue. They were nice colours, but something so light just wouldn't suit a club. Clubbers wore black, dark reds and blues…the darker the better. He pushed the sliding door further down, taking a look at the very end of the row, and caught a glimpse of black. Relieved, he reached out for the black thing and drew out a short dress with a wrap front and floaty skirt. There was a cut-out at the waist, and he didn't think the dress was too low-cut either. "How about this?" he held it out to her, waiting for her opinion.

Miku bit her lip. "I didn't know I had this. Since when did I…I mean, I don't even remember putting this into my wardrobe," she shook her head. "I must have been really tired when I was unpacking!" she mused. Carefully, she took the dress from him, pulling the zipper behind up and down and studying the wrap front. "It looks fine," she held the dress up against herself, "and I don't think it'll be too tight or too revealing. The length seems decent as well," she held the dress away from her and studied it again, before glancing up at him. "What do you think?" she asked. He hesitated.

"Should be all right, I guess?" he shrugged. "I really don't know, but I think you'd look great in it," the compliment came out without him actually thinking it through, but he genuinely meant it. Miku's eyes widened at his words and she suddenly seemed very uncertain, but she thanked him and started keeping the other clothes she had thrown out back into the wardrobe, leaving the chosen dress on her pillow. Len just stood aside and watched her put everything back in place, not wanting to get in her way. She seemed to be the kind who liked things neat and orderly, and he knew better than to mess with someone like that when they were tidying up their things. It didn't take long before she was done.

"Let's go back downstairs," she suggested, and he gladly agreed with that, following her as she left her room. "Do you want another drink?" she asked, eyeing his empty cup – he had finished the water a while ago, and now he was carrying the empty cup along with him down the stairs. He shook his head, and she didn't say anything else until they were in the living room. He awkwardly set the cup down on the coffee table, not quite knowing what to say.

She was the one who spoke first. "Thanks for your help today," she offered, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I really appreciate it since…you know, you didn't have to, I guess," she shrugged, her gaze flicking momentarily away from him. Maybe she recalled what he had said to her just before she left her room the first time. Something of his true nature and his intentions had slipped out there, and he regretted even saying anything like that in the first place. He shouldn't have done that so soon…she was clearly still awkward and uncomfortable around him right now.

"I was free," he answered simply. "I'll be heading back home now, I have an essay due on Monday and I haven't started on it yet. You'll definitely be going to MinkPink on Sunday night, right?" he checked again just to be absolutely sure. She nodded, looking a little annoyed about this but thankfully she didn't snap at him. "Okay, I'll see you then," he continued carefully, hoping that she wouldn't suddenly get all angry again. Miku seemed to be strangely volatile today, ever since he asked her to change in front of him…yeah, maybe he shouldn't have done that. But oh well, it was too late.

She showed him out and he instantly looked out for his car – his Ferrari was still outside her garage, thank God. He couldn't imagine what would happen if anyone tried to steal his car. It had happened before, and if he hadn't been leaving the building just as the idiot was about to smash in his window, he had no doubt that his precious car would be gone. Sometimes, it felt like having a luxury car was more trouble than it was worth, but he couldn't deny that it looked good so he didn't complain.

He got into his car and pulled out onto the main road. Miku stood there at the door until his car had disappeared from sight, then sighed and turned back into the house. She had no idea if she was excited or not about going to Rei's party. She would have to face Len there, and there was no denying that she was starting to feel a certain way towards the boy. She just wasn't sure yet if she wanted him to get closer to her or if she wanted to strangle him. Maybe she should think more about this after she was no longer so agitated. Why did Len have to get so close to her just now?

She swept her hair over her right shoulder, collapsing on the couch in the living room. Closing her eyes, she leant back into the couch, just letting her thoughts run freely through her mind. No, she still didn't like Len, but…what did she feel? Sometimes, she thought that he was funny and genuine. There was a certain look in his eyes that made her think that he couldn't ever tell a lie. But on the other hand, at times she was just so unnerved by him. The same openness in his eyes could be replaced by guardedness within mere moments – in fact, she was surprised that he had opened up to her about his memory loss. She never thought that he would admit anything private about himself to her so soon. Maybe their being friends would make him open up even more…but she doubted it.

Plus there was the matter of what he had said to her. Was he trying to seduce her? She didn't want to think about it, but the look in his eyes just wouldn't let her be. She was probably going to dream about it or something tonight. That strange hungry look he had given her – was all this just because she had told him not to have sex if he wanted to be friends with her? She couldn't bring herself to believe that though. Surely his willpower couldn't be that abysmal. It had only been a week at most! She groaned, turning her head into the couch – no, she would not think about this.

She stayed like that for a while, just breathing in and out with her face buried against the leather couch. Suddenly, she heard her phone buzzing – she had left it on the coffee table before going up to her room with Len – and, though she ignored it at first, the phone continued to vibrate. Rolling her eyes, she sat up and reached out for the annoying thing, checking to see who was calling her – the moment she saw Rin's name on the screen, the annoyance melted away, replaced by intrigue.

Why was Rin calling her now? "Hello?" she picked up the phone, trying not to sound too curious or eager. She was greeted by a lot of static and background noise, and she winced, holding the phone away from her ear. She heard someone that sounded like Rin saying something, but her voice was drowned out by the noisy background. "I can't hear you!" Miku raised her voice a little, hoping that Rin would be able to hear her. Rin repeated what she said, a little louder this time, and Miku caught Len's name and the phrase 'sleep with him'. Her face flushed. That notion was preposterous!

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "Why would you even think that?" Rin's next words sounded relieved, and Miku barely heard her say something about going to a quieter spot before she was put on hold. She frowned down at the phone for a while, putting it back up to her ear and listening to the dull, monotonous beeping – if it wasn't for the fact that the call was still connected, she would have thought that Rin hung up on her. A while later, the line came back and Rin sounded breathless. The surroundings were much quieter now, and Miku no longer had any problems hearing her.

"I asked because you two have been spending an awful lot of time together lately. It's just really suspicious because Len does not have female _friends_ , so…I thought I'd ask, just to be sure. I know I haven't finished telling you what I wanted to say the other time, and I want to tell you now before you decide to…I don't know, fall for my brother or something," Rin explained hurriedly. Miku frowned. Whatever this was about, it sounded terribly serious, especially if Rin had apparently interrupted her shopping time with Mizki just to call her about this. How had she known when to call anyway? After all, Len had left her house just a little while ago. Was Rin psychic or something?

"I thought you're shopping now. Why are you calling me?" Miku asked, changing the topic. She wanted to know about Rin's unfinished story, but she was really wondering why Rin had chosen now, of all times, to tell her about it. Rin just let out a quiet groan. She sounded like she was in pain.

"Mizki is shopping at Solanges, and it is _way_ out of my price range. I decided not to tempt myself into making a purchase I'll regret," Rin explained. "And as for why I'm calling you now…I don't know, call it a gut feeling. Len drove you home, didn't he? In that fancy Ferrari of his," her tone was sour here, and Miku couldn't help but giggle. Rin had a knack for making people laugh, even at the most serious of times. "Either way, I have free time now and I just had this overwhelming urge to tell you about Len. He's not what he appears to be, all right? He's my brother and I love him but there's really no other way to describe him. Ever since the accident I mentioned, he's been so fucked up."

"You mean his memory loss?" Miku asked. Rin made a sound of surprise. "He told me about it," she admitted, feeling almost guilty for some reason. "He told me that he can't remember anything from between the ages of nine and ten. I don't know if that has anything to do with him sleeping around, though," she hesitated. She didn't know if she should reveal what _she_ personally knew about the situation. Neither Len nor Rin were aware of her past with the boy, and telling them now didn't seem to be a good idea. She wanted to keep her past here secret for a while longer. No one besides her was aware that she used to know Len. Not even her parents or Len's family had any idea.

"I don't know if there's any connection," Rin seemed to have gotten over her surprise. "I mean, he only started being a man-whore after we turned sixteen years old, but he's just never been the same after he recovered. It's like a part of him went missing," Rin's tone darkened here. Despite the crackling of the phone and how unclear her voice was at times, Rin's tone sent a chill down her spine. "And I think a little bit of his humanity disappeared with his memories, because no matter how he acts around you, remember that he isn't very nice. He's a really good manipulator. Just ask any of the girls he has stuck with him," she quietened for a moment. Miku's heart was in her throat.

When Rin next spoke, she sounded sad. Genuinely sad, which was something Miku had never seen before with the blonde. "So you know I had a best friend. Len doesn't know we were _best_ friends, he just thought we hung out sometimes but that's about it. I don't invite her over very often, you see. I didn't want my friend getting to know my brother," her voice was very quiet. "But still, they met. And my best friend, she fell for him instantly. Len is charming, Miku. He knows exactly what a girl is looking for in a guy and he can play the part perfectly. But he never says that he loves you. Even if you love him with all your heart, he'll never return your feelings. He's only out for the sex, that's all."

"I know that," Miku interrupted, feeling like she had to justify herself at this point. "I'm not talking to him because I want to be with him, Rin. We're just…we're just friends, that's all," she mumbled. She had a bad feeling about where this was going. It was something to do with how Rin was using the past tense to describe her friend. Something must have gone terribly wrong between them.

"Does he think the same way? Really?" Rin snapped. Then she quietened again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to blow up. I just get upset thinking about this," she sighed into the phone. "Anyway, Len did the thing with my best friend. She thought he loved her, you know. But no surprise, he didn't. He told her so pretty harshly too, from what I heard. After that she tried to kill herself," Rin's tone was heavy. Miku gasped – now she certainly hadn't been expecting that. Rin continued before she could say anything. "Luckily her attempt to overdose didn't work, and she was saved in time. But after that she and her family moved away and I've never heard from her since. She wouldn't reply my texts or answer my calls and after all this time I guess I've given up. And Len…Len still doesn't know about it."

"You should tell him!" Miku exploded. She couldn't help it, after hearing about all this. "If he knows about what he's doing then maybe he'll change his ways! Right?" but Rin just laughed. It was a short, sad kind of laugh, and Miku felt her burst of energy die down at how hopeless her friend sounded. She couldn't help but pity Rin now. Rin sounded so hurt, but she didn't want to tell Len anything and Miku didn't understand why. It must feel terrible to look at your own sibling and know what he did.

"He won't stop, Miku. He's not going to stop. I think he's actually driven someone to suicide before. He still didn't stop. He says that he's already explained what he wants to all those girls who get involved with him, and while he does feel bad about the few who hurt themselves over him, there are far more girls who don't try to commit suicide. That comforts him enough to let him continue," Rin coughed. "It's true that he's toned down a lot since he met you – I don't think I've seen him sneaking out of the house at night in a while – but I don't know how long it's going to last, and if he does snap I don't want it to be around you, all right? I don't want to lose another friend," Rin's voice became very quiet towards the end. Miku swallowed, still stunned by what she just found out.

"I'm trying to change him," she said just as softly. "And I really think…I really think that he's making progress. I told him that if he wanted to be friends with me, then he has to stop toying around with girls and he really did stop!" she got a little excited here. Rin didn't say anything. "I don't know why he would agree to my challenge just to become my friend, but if it works then there's no reason to complain, right?" maybe Len would really change. He had seemed repentant after she yelled at him on the bus about Teto, after all. Perhaps he did actually have a conscience, despite Rin's implication.

"I hope so too," Rin finally said after a pause. "But I can't help but think that he's stopping for some other reason. He must be interested in you, Miku," Rin cautioned, "so I'd keep my guard up if I were you. Remember, he's my twin brother and I love him, but you're a great friend and I really don't want to see you hurt so I'm telling you, don't spend so much time around Len. He's not good for anyone," she murmured, "least of all for people who have never had a boyfriend before. You don't know much about dating or guys, and he's going to make use of that. Hang out with Rei instead, he's a much better influence than Len," Rin suddenly urged her, catching her by surprise. "Anyway, Mizki just left the store so I'd better go now. I'll talk to you some other time!" then the line went dead.

Miku just stared down at her phone for some time after their conversation, chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she thought over what Rin said. She didn't want to believe her – she couldn't bring herself to think that _Len_ could be so callous and calculating – but Rin seemed really worried about her. There wasn't any trace of a lie at all in her words, and Miku no longer knew what to think or who to believe. The Len she had known was funny, kind and sweet. The Len she knew now also seemed to be pretty genuine – guarded, but genuine. Was this really all just a façade for him to get closer to her? He didn't seem like the manipulative type. But what did she know compared to Rin?

She needed a third opinion on all this. She had to talk to someone who wasn't so deeply involved with Len. There had to be a person who hadn't gotten their heart broken by the boy, someone who could give her an honest, neutral opinion on how trustworthy Len was…her eyes widened, and she turned towards her backpack, searching through it for her notebook. She found it and drew it out, quickly flipping to the page where Kagene Rei had scrawled his number, a few days ago. She still had yet to text him. Glancing at the number, she saved it into her contacts, then after a moment's hesitation she opened up a new text and started typing a message for the dark boy. Was this really a good idea?

Before she could let her nervousness get the better of her, she tapped 'send' and let the phone fall onto her lap, quietly exhaling. She wondered when Rei would reply since he seemed to be so busy all the time – but hardly a minute later, her phone pinged and she saw Rei's message. She read the words and smiled, thankful that he said okay. Then, quickly she hurried up the stairs to change out of what she wore to school. If she was going to leave the suburbs, she'd have to dress nicely.


	17. Chapter 17

Miku stepped into the café, cringing when the small bell dangling across the entrance announced her presence to everyone in the place. Thankfully though, there didn't seem to be too many people. She scanned the café for any signs of Rei and saw a dark head somewhere at the very back.

Relieved, she hurried over to the booth. Kagene Rei was sitting there with his earpiece on, his eyes closed as he hummed along to whatever song was playing on his phone. It reminded her of the first time she ran into him at the library, and her lips curved up into a smile. "Rei!" she called, wondering if he could hear her. Instantly, his eyes flicked open and he took out one earbud, grinning at her.

"Hey Miku," he greeted cheerfully. She slipped into the seat opposite him, watching as he unplugged his earpiece and wound the wires up, placing them into his backpack. He looked like he had just showered – his hair was damp, and his clothes looked neat and ironed. Not that she meant that Rei usually walked around in crumpled clothes or something, but he looked exceptionally crisp right now. "So why did you ask to meet me?" he went straight to the point, curiosity in his golden eyes.

"Uh…" Miku suddenly didn't know how to begin. "Okay, so you know that Len and I have been hanging out together lately, right?" she began, smoothing some of her hair away from her face – anything to keep her hands from staying still. She didn't know what to do with her hands. Rei just nodded, listening to her. She swallowed. "And some people have been telling me that it isn't really a good idea to be close to Len. That he's a bad influence and all," she hesitated. "You must know him better than I do since you've been in the same school for three years and counting. Is he really that bad? Like honestly?" the words poured out one after another, almost blurring together in her haste.

Rei blinked. "Oh…I don't know him _that_ well, actually," Rei laughed. He sounded a little nervous. "I do hear things in school too. Opinion seems to be divided on whether he's an asshole or someone to be idolised. I suppose you can figure out who's who in this debate," he shrugged. "Personally, I try not to make any judgements based on what I hear. Wouldn't it make more sense to get to know a person before deciding anything? But I know he's friends with Shion Kaito and Utatane Piko, and both of them are decent people. I don't think they'd stay friends with Len if he was really a jerk."

That made sense, but Rin's words haunted her. And Rin didn't have any reason to lie to her either, right? Maybe Kaito and Piko just didn't know about Len's misdeeds. But she wanted to believe that he wasn't really like what Rin described. "I suppose so," she said slowly, glancing down at the worn wooden table. She could see a pair of initials scratched into the wood – 'L x L', she read. She idly wondered who had carved those initials here and if the couple was still happily together. "I just want to hear a neutral opinion. Most people seem to either like or hate Len, and I didn't want something extreme. You seemed to be a good person to ask, since you know so many people," she explained.

Rei nodded. "Yeah, I get that," he quietened for a moment. Then abruptly he spoke again. "If you really want I can ask around. Like you said, I know lots of people and someone's bound to know if Len really ever did the things some accuse him of doing. I heard he drove someone to suicide once," he mentioned, making Miku's eyes widen – yes, this was the exact same thing Rin had told her! But Rei continued on. "But I did find out more, and apparently the girl in question was already pretty depressed to begin with. I heard she tried to kill herself before. The one who spread the rumours about Len was her younger sister, so I'm not too sure if I would believe that…I'm not saying that he didn't have anything at all to do with it," he clarified, "but he might not be totally guilty in this case."

She almost asked if Rei knew about Rin's friend, but she held her tongue. Rin had not told even her twin brother about this incident. She didn't know if Mizki or Luka knew either, but Rin had clearly told her about her story in confidence, and she would not break the trust just to satisfy her own curiosity. "Thanks Rei," she sighed, placing her hands flat against the table. The wood was cool and smooth against her fingers, but she could feel some bumps and grooves in the surface too. "I'm his friend and I do trust him…but if he's really not what he appears to be then I don't want to make any stupid decisions. I won't doubt him from now on," or at least she would try. Both Rin and Len were her friends and she knew that from now on, every time she looked at Len she would recall the echo of Rin's voice and what she said to her over the phone. It was like an ink spot had dropped onto the blank sheet that was her friendship with Len, staining it permanently. It just wouldn't go away.

"No problem. I'll try and find out more about Len's doings and I'll tell you if I get anything concrete. Shouldn't take long," he winked, causing her lips to tug upwards slightly. "Anyway, enough about the gloomy stuff. Are you excited about Sunday?" he asked, making some kind of gesture with his fists. She took it to indicate excitement – she had never been very into trends and she didn't really know what the latest 'in' things were. "I know you aren't that keen on going," he suddenly said, his hands dropping back to the table, "so I really appreciate the fact that you're coming. Thank you. Really."

His voice was filled with sincerity. She felt mildly flattered, actually. "Oh, it's no big deal," she hastily assured him. "My parents understand…they said it was wonderful that I'm supporting charity, so no biggie," she exhaled. "But I might not stay that long at MinkPink. I'm really not the clubber type," she warned him. Rei just smiled. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be particularly surprised by this.

"I can tell, you certainly aren't," he tilted his head. "What's your poison? We all have some little vice hidden within our usual selves. Len's vice is sex. Mine is partying. Luka's vice is alcohol – oh, don't let anyone know I told you that though," he added, noticing how Miku gasped. "I didn't mean to say that, it just kind of slipped out. But she's prone to a small drink every now and then, nothing much! Don't think she's addicted!" Rei hastily tried to remedy the situation. She nodded slowly, promising to keep her lips sealed. Rei visibly relaxed. "I really shouldn't have said that," he muttered, "but it just sort of slipped out. I think I'm too comfortable around you," he made a face, then grinned.

She laughed, feeling a little awkward about her situation but not knowing what else to do anyway. It was just strange having a guy talk to her that way – plus it reminded her of how Mizki and Rin kept trying to push her towards Rei. "We all have something we don't want to share with other people," she quietly agreed, hoping that he wouldn't ask her what her secret was. Thankfully, he didn't. He just looked at her, his golden eyes filled with curiosity, but he didn't say a single word. Suddenly, a waitress came over to their table, bearing a tall tower of ice cream. Rei perked up at the sight.

"Thanks!" he chirped. The waitress nodded and set the ice cream down before him. The cold sweet treat looked deliciously decadent. It looked like some kind of chunky fudge chocolate ice cream, drizzled over with chocolate sauce and topped with a chocolate coated biscuit. Rei rummaged around in the box on their table for a long spoon. "Sorry, I was hungry and since you weren't here yet I just ordered something to eat. It's their Triple Chocolate Fudge Sundae Surprise, and it's really good. There's fudge there, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hazelnuts and some white chocolate in the centre too. You can't see it from the outside," Rei dipped his spoon into the top of the chocolate ice cream and promptly ate his scoop, closing his eyes in bliss. "You want to try some?" he asked, licking his lips as one eye flicked open to observe her, amusement dancing across his expression.

She hesitated. But she was getting kind of hungry, and it really _did_ look good. "All right," she looked through the same box, trying to find another spoon. There didn't seem to be any, not even the normal spoon – there were only forks and knives left, covered by paper napkins. She frowned, glancing up at him. "There aren't any spoons left," she explained, pushing the box away from her.

"Oh, that's no big deal. Use mine," Rei shrugged, handing the spoon over to her. She almost refused because it felt so strange, sharing a spoon with Rei – after all, they had only sort of reconnected after eight years of not talking to each other. They hadn't even been super close or anything before she went overseas. But she didn't want to seem uptight or anything, so she took hold of the spoon and dug into the ice cream, telling herself that sharing a dessert didn't mean there was anything going on between them. Rei watched expectantly as she carefully placed the spoon in her mouth.

It was an explosion of sweetness – not _overwhelmingly_ , sugary sweet, but creamy and cold with a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was probably from the dark chocolate fudge chunks in the ice cream. She licked her lips clean, passing the spoon back to Rei. "Hey, it's really nice!" she exclaimed, surprised that she would like it this much. After all, she wasn't particularly fond of chocolate. She didn't _hate_ it, but she wouldn't go out of the way to have it either. Rei smiled, looking almost relieved.

"Oh, I'm glad you like it. This is my favourite dessert," to her amazement, he managed to scoop up half of the ice cream, the giant chunk of icy sweetness perched precariously on his metal spoon. "I love chocolate," he told her right before he stuck the whole thing into his mouth. She watched as he shuddered, eyes closing briefly when the ice cream went in. "Sorry, brain freeze," he muttered.

She couldn't help but laugh. He swallowed, his free hand fluttering up to his temples. "I always do that though I know I can't stand the cold," he rolled his eyes, wincing and smiling all at once. "It's very stupid of me, but I want to finish it all off before it melts. Do you want to help me?" he offered the spoon to her once again. She blinked, startled by his words. Didn't he enjoy his dessert?

"You should finish it yourself," she hastily shook her head, drawing back slightly from the waiting dessert spoon. "I mean, you like it and you paid for it, right? So you should have it," she explained, though really it was more because of how awkward she felt about this situation. It was almost like they were kissing, though indirectly. They were too old to be concerned about stupid things like that, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking about it. It certainly didn't help that Rei was handsome and popular in the cohort. It was just really weird that he was willing to hang out with her so much.

"Don't be silly. It's just ice cream! And it's not even that expensive. I can afford to share it with you," he laughed. "Besides, I'll be having dinner soon with a good friend of mine. He's a great chef and he's making dinner for a whole bunch of us tonight. If any one of us don't finish our plates he'll take it as an offense, and I know that if I eat this whole thing by myself I won't be able to eat a proper meal later. Cold food does funny things to my stomach," his eyes twinkled. She couldn't say no to such an honest, good-natured face, so she slowly took the spoon and dug into the ice cream too.

Of course she had wanted more, but she felt bad about just eating Rei's food and it was just strange to share his spoon. If he insisted though, she wouldn't hold back. She was getting hungry too, now that she noticed. Either way, between the two of them the ice cream was very quickly finished. They wiped their mouths clean of chocolate with the paper napkins provided. Miku felt very satisfied.

"I should start going to my friend's house. I was supposed to be there fifteen minutes ago," Rei glanced at his watch, surprising her with what he said. If he was late, then why had he remained with her all this time? He hadn't even told her that he had an appointment after this – if she knew he had been so pressed for time, she would have asked to meet on another day. Instantly, she felt guilty. Rei noticed the crestfallen look on her face and immediately figured out what was going on. "Hey, you don't need to feel bad! The others are always late anyway. I didn't want to be the first guy over there, since we're having a bet right now – first guy to shows up pays for the ingredients used to cook tonight," Rei laughed, which made her feel marginally better. "Since I have time to waste, how about I drive you home? Since you went to Len's house for dinner, I assume you live near him?"

She nodded. "You don't need to drive me home if it's out of the way," she hastily assured him. She had already dragged him away from his other appointments just to satisfy her own curiosity, and she had eaten his food too. She didn't really want to owe him any other favours. But Rei waved it off.

"It's on the way. My friend lives in the suburb past yours," he explained. "Besides, like I said, I really want to waste time. I'm sick of always being the first to appear and having to pay for the groceries because of that," he rolled his eyes. "I mean, it's not that I'm too stingy to pay or that I can't afford it, but it's turned into an inside joke between us and I want to change that. I'm going to take my own sweet time today," he rose from his seat, picking up his backpack. "Shall we go? Unless you want to order something too, of course," he added when she didn't immediately get up from her seat.

She shook her head. The ice cream had been surprisingly filling, though she didn't even finish the whole thing by herself. She made sure that Rei still got to eat more than her, since he was the one who liked it so much and he had paid for it too. "You have a car too?" she asked, feeling slightly stupid for asking that question, but she really didn't know. Every guy she knew here seemed to have a car, even her cousin. Though Mikuo's car certainly wasn't as expensive as Len's or Kaito's. She had only seen Kaito's car once, that time he came to pick Rin up from her house, but it definitely didn't look cheap. Rei nodded, shrugging his backpack onto his shoulders. He led the way out of the café.

"Well, I have two actually. But the other is with my little cousin. She's really excited about driving because she just got her license. I really hope she doesn't crash my car or anything," he smiled nervously. "I don't know if you've seen her around in school before, she's a sophomore student. Her name is Haine Lin. She sort of looks like me…black hair, but her eyes are grey instead of gold like mine. She's really short," Rei mused, "so it won't be surprising if you've never seen her around."

"I think I might have in the cafeteria once or twice, I'm not sure," they walked out towards the carpark across the street. The café didn't have any parking space of its own. Rei just gave her a look, and it made her fidget. She really didn't know if she had ever seen this girl – the description was vaguely familiar, but she didn't recall seeing Haine Lin anywhere in school before. But then again, his description of his cousin might be familiar because it sounded like he was talking about himself.

"Really? Well, it's all right even if you didn't see her before. She's not part of our cohort anyway," the traffic light changed and they crossed the street, Rei holding on to his bag strap with one hand, the other hand tucked into his pocket. Miku, who had brought nothing with her besides her bus card and some loose change, walked just a tiny bit behind him. She didn't want to walk right next to him, for some reason. After they shared the ice cream she just felt really awkward around him. Of course, she knew that _she_ herself was the one making this situation awkward since Rei obviously didn't mind anything. Why did she always have to make her life so difficult for herself? It made her feel stupid.

The walked into the carpark. Rei looked around, a small frown on his face. "Where did I park that thing…?" he muttered. "Oh, there it is," he started off towards his left. She followed, glancing across all the cars parked in this direction, wondering which one belonged to him. Rei led her all the way to a shiny silver car. She squinted. Was that _yet another_ sports car? It seemed like all the guys around her had sports cars. She took a look at the logo and recognised the three points – Mercedes Benz. Of course, it had to be a luxury car brand. First there was Len with his Ferrari, and now Rei with his Mercedes. Plus didn't Rei state that he had two cars? She wondered what the other one was.

She didn't follow cars or anything, but even she had an idea of what were the more expensive luxury cars and Mercedes definitely made it to the list. "Did you parents get this for you before they moved overseas?" she asked, standing next to the sleek vehicle. Even at rest, it looked like it could go really, really fast – she eyed it, hoping that Rei wasn't a reckless sort of driver. She automatically assumed that most people who owned sports cars drove too fast. Rei shrugged, pulling out his car keys.

"Yeah, this was a present for my eighteenth birthday. It's kind of dumb because they already got me a car when I received my license. I preferred my old car actually," Rei made a face, "since it didn't draw as much attention, but that Chevrolet isn't worth as much as this one plus I didn't need a four-seater anyway, so I lent it to my cousin. She needs it more since she always drives out to the city with her friends on weekends," Rei sighed and rolled his eyes. "When you're eighteen most of your friends have their own cars or their parents' car, so my services as chauffeur aren't needed."

"I don't have a car," she spoke up, opening the door and sliding into the seat. Rei did the same, strapping himself in and giving her a quizzical look. She knew that it was really strange to not have a car at this age, especially given that everything around here was so geographically dispersed. But the last few cities she had lived in were all very dense and there were amazing public transport systems, unlike here where the bus only came once every half an hour. It hadn't been strange at all to not own a vehicle of her own or not know how to drive. She resolved to get her license here before she turned twenty years old. If she was really going to settle here, then she knew she would need a car or a bike.

"Do you have a license then?" he asked her, switching gears. She watched enviously as Rei pulled out of the lot without backing into the car that was parked directly behind his. Shockingly enough, she couldn't do that. She hated to fit the stereotype that women couldn't drive, but in her case she really couldn't. And it wasn't that she didn't try, either. She managed to pass her theory test with flying colours, but when it came to actually signalling and parking, she was hopeless. She couldn't figure out at all the angles at which she was supposed to turn, and she always ended up bumping into another car or hitting the kerb. Eventually, she stopped taking the tests because she no longer wanted to waste her money. It had been a few months since she last got behind the wheel.

"No, I don't. I'm still trying to pass the actual exam. I'm not a good driver," she answered, turning away from him and looking out of the window. Rei hadn't let down the roof of his car, so it was nice and air-conditioned and the wind wasn't whipping her hair into her face. The car was quiet as it cruised along the road, and she saw people on the pavement turning to watch the car as it sped down the street. Suddenly, she was thankful that Rei's windows were tinted. She didn't want people to know that she was sitting here in this luxurious sports car. She wasn't extremely well-off unlike Len or Rei, and she knew that she would never be able to afford something this expensive.

"It's not hard, really," Rei spoke, braking as the traffic light in front of them turned from amber to red. They pulled to a stop just before the zebra crossing. "You just need a lot of practice and more confidence behind the wheel. My cousin, Lin, took three attempts to pass her test," he shot her a wry smile, "so I guess the third time's the charm. How many times have you taken your test?"

"Four…" she was a little reluctant to say it aloud because it was embarrassing, but other than lifting a single dark eyebrow Rei didn't react in any other way. She had half-expected him to laugh, and was grateful when he did not. "And since taking the stupid test itself is pretty expensive, I just sort of gave up. There wasn't any point in taking my exam when I might move at any time too. I'm thinking of taking it again though," she played with the hem of her skirt, "since I think I'm going to settle here for good. And if I won't have to memorise a new set of traffic regulations, then I think I can devote more time to the practical part and maybe, just _maybe_ , I can pass my driving test this time."

"I wish you good luck then!" the traffic light turned green again, and Rei set off. "Though really, it's all right even if you can't drive. Just give me a call and I'll be glad to escort you anywhere," Rei glanced over at her, a small smile on his face. She gaped at him, uncertain if he was serious or not about his offer. "I'm really free anyway. I mean, I sound busy, being the Vice President and part of the basketball team and whatnot, but to be honest I don't have that much to do. As the Vice President, it's only busy when we have major events coming up. I have more of an administration role than the other Council members, so during non-festival periods it's pretty calm. And sports season is over anyway. After Sunday, you won't see me doing anything much anymore," he laughed.

"Yeah, but even so it'll be really troublesome for you to chauffeur me around," she pointed out, scratching the back of her head. They were approaching the highway that would take them out of the city. "It's okay, I should just learn how to drive. Thanks for your offer though," she glanced at him too, wondering what he was thinking. Rei was looking straight ahead, tapping his index finger against his wheel. His right hand rested on his lap. He was wearing a watch, and she took note of the time – it was almost six. It would be dinnertime soon. Should she buy food, or make something light?

"Well, just know that my offer stands. You can ask me to send you anywhere whenever you want, as long as it's convenient for me," he turned briefly towards her again, grinning. "I don't mind driving from my house to get you if I'm free, but if I'm busy then obviously I won't be able to drive you anywhere. Though I might make an exception under other circumstances," his words lingered in the air between them, and she fidgeted. She wondered if she was reading too much into the situation.

"Thanks, Rei," she muttered, not wishing to say anything else just in case he took her words and used them to continue this strange conversation. The whole thing kept making her think of Mizki and her relentless attempts to push her towards Rei. She really didn't think the raven haired boy had any romantic feelings for her, but maybe…was she wrong about that? She wasn't obtuse, and she didn't think that her suspicions were unfounded. Surely Rei would not make this kind of offer for any girl he happened to talk to. But if he really did like her, then why? He didn't even know her that well.

"Any time," he said easily, before he reached out to switch on his car's music player. Maybe he knew that what he said would make her reluctant to talk more with him. Either way, heavy metal music filled the air, which made a nice distraction – the silence between them probably would have become tense otherwise. She knew the song playing – Constipation of Death by Hagane Rin, one of the latest metal artists to hit the scene. She blinked as she recognised the somewhat familiar tune. She listened to heavy metal at times – it really depended on what phase she was going through with regards to her music taste. But she really hadn't expected someone like Rei to listen to it as well.

Rei seemed to notice her reaction to the music. "You don't like it?" he had to raise his voice to be heard over the heavy beat and the electric guitar riffs. "I can shut it off if you don't," he added, his other hand reaching out towards the music player. She reached out for his hand, preventing him from switching it off. She felt him jerk at her touch, and he turned to look at her quizzically – luckily he was currently stopped at a red light. She didn't want them to get into any road accidents.

"It's all right. I like Hagane Rin," she answered, letting go of his hand. He continued to stare at her, and did so until the traffic light turned green once more. He slowly shifted gears and they just listened to the music play until he reached her neighbourhood. It seemed like Rei had Hagane Rin's entire TRAUMATIC album, which she also had in her laptop at home. "Turn left here," she said when they reached a fork in the road. Rei did as she said, turning left down the street towards her house.

She continued directing him until he pulled up right outside her place. When he stopped, he exited the music player too, and the song stopped abruptly halfway, leaving a deafening sort of silence in its wake. She now realised that her ears were ringing. "Thanks for the company today," Rei spoke, reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt – the black belt whooshed past her as it was released from the buckle. "It's great talking to you as always, Miku. I remember that you were always real fun when we were classmates, back in grade school. That hasn't changed at all," his golden eyes were filled with good humour. "I liked chatting with you and listening to your plans. And I remember that you always asked me to get you out of trouble for skipping classes. I'll be glad to once more help you in any way I can, even though we're older now. I guess I'll see you on Sunday, then?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Rei," she opened the car door, slipping out of the vehicle. She peeked down into the car right before she closed the door, and Rei waved at her casually before starting up his music player again. She shut the door and just a few seconds later, the car sped off, heading deeper into the suburbs. He would probably be visiting his friend now. Miku sighed and walked up the path towards her house, suddenly struck by how alone she was in this neighbourhood. Her parents still had not returned, and it would be two more days before she could finally see them.

Reaching into her skirt pocket, she brushed past her bus card and found her keychain. When she left the house earlier she had almost forgotten to bring her keys out with her. It wasn't the first time she had locked herself out of course, since she was prone to forgetting her keys – her front door had an automatic locking mechanism when it closed so she didn't actually need her keys to lock the place up. It could be unlocked without keys from the inside, but definitely not from the outside. In the past, she sometimes locked herself out of the house or apartment and would have to wait for her parents to return home before she could get into the house, but if she locked herself out here she would either have to wait for her parents to come back on Sunday or force her cousin to drive down from the inner city to unlock the door for her. Mikuo had a personal set of keys to her place as well.

She unlocked the door, but just as she was about to open it she heard something fall over inside the house. It sounded like breaking glass, and it was followed by a loud shout of displeasure. She froze. There was somebody inside her house. Instant panic welled up inside her – it couldn't possibly be her cousin, since he usually notified her if he wanted to come over and she hadn't received a notification of any sort from him today. But there was no one else, besides her parents, who had a key to their place! Could a burglar have broken in? Deciding against going through the front door, she slunk around to the back. She figured that a burglar might not know about the back door.

The back door led into her kitchen. She peeked through the kitchen window, but she couldn't see anyone inside. All she saw was a shadow against the wall outside the kitchen. It was a decidedly humanoid shape, but she couldn't tell for certain who it was. From the shout she heard earlier though, she assumed it was a man. Gritting her teeth, she flicked through her keys and found the one that opened the back door. Making as little noise as possible, she slid the key into the keyhole and twisted it, hoping the door wouldn't creak as she pushed it open. Hastily, she slipped inside the house and closed the door quietly behind her, picking up an empty plastic bowl from the kitchen counter and walking carefully over to the kitchen entrance. She could hear a faint muttering now.

Yes, it was definitely a guy. Whoever had broken into her house seemed to be searching for something – she could hear the person saying "where is it?" frantically to himself, over and over again. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to think it would be in the living room – at least, he didn't appear to be making any attempts to explore the other rooms in her house. She frowned. That seemed odd for a burglar, but what did she know of the behaviour of thieves? The more important part was that someone had broken into her house and was now looking through her personal belongings. Whoever it was had decided to mess with the wrong girl. She wasn't going to just let him do whatever he wanted to her things. Angrily, she held up the fruit bowl and rushed into the living room, her gaze landing on a guy with silver coloured hair and a pair of mismatched eyes.

She recognised him as Utatane Piko, one of Len's friends and a member of the Student Council. She instantly tried to stop herself from running towards him, but her momentum propelled her forward and, almost instinctively, the fruit bowl flew through the air and smacked him right in the face. Piko let out a yelp and fell back onto the couch, holding his left eye in pain. Miku squeaked and stopped, her now-empty hands shooting up to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, her first instinct being to apologise since she had inflicted pain upon someone she actually knew. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Piko grunted. She had never spoken to the boy before this, but she knew he existed and she knew that he was Len's friend. "It's my fault, I shouldn't be sneaking around in your place to begin with," he continued, holding on to his left eye and gazing up at her. His right eye, the light blue one, watched her carefully. He looked reproachful though he was clearly the one in the wrong here. She narrowed her eyes at his words – true, Piko shouldn't even be here to begin with. First of all, how did he know she lived here? Unless he had randomly decided to break into someone's house and he just happened to choose hers – but she didn't think that this was just a coincidence. And secondly, how had he even gotten in? Was Utatane Piko a master lock picker or something?

"I'll get you some ice for your eye," she cleared her throat, "but first of all, what are you doing in my house? What are you searching for?" she folded her arms across her chest, waiting for a response. Piko pushed himself up from the couch, still wincing. The fruit bowl must have hit his face pretty hard. She almost felt bad, but she reminded herself that this wasn't her fault – it was his!

"I'm friends with Mikuo. He's your cousin, right? We were hanging out yesterday at Night Factory, and he suddenly told me that he needed something from his cousin's house. He wouldn't stop griping about how far it was from his place…it just so happened that you're his cousin, and when I found out that you live near Len I offered to grab his thing for him today. I was going to pay Len a visit after this anyway, his mother invited me over for dinner," Piko explained. "So Mikuo lent me his keys. He and I both live in the city, though he's nearer to the inner city than I am. If you had been home I would have just asked you if I could search for it, but you weren't and I was running late so…" he shrugged, at the same time reaching into his pocket and holding up a keychain. Miku squinted at it, recognising the leek charm that dangled from the keychain. It was the same charm as hers. Definitely Mikuo.

"All right, fine. But you still should have warned me! No one told me anything!" she threw her hands up in frustration. "Do neither you nor Mikuo have any basic common sense?" she narrowed her eyes further at Piko, before turning into the kitchen to find a pack of ice for the boy. Utatane Piko reluctantly followed her into the kitchen, watching as she took some ice out of the freezer and put it into a small plastic sandwich bag. She twisted the bag shut and gave the ice pack to Piko, who held it over his injured eye. He sighed in relief. "What's Mikuo looking for? I'll find it. It'll be faster than you searching my house anyway," she was beginning to calm down, though she was still a little irritated.

Piko muttered something inaudible, and she frowned as she was forced to repeat her question. Piko then cleared his throat. "His PSP. He's looking for his PSP," he stated dully. Miku frowned. She didn't remember having Mikuo's PSP – but then her eyes widened and she gasped, suddenly recalling everything. Three years ago Mikuo had visited her overseas and brought his PSP with him. She stole it and convinced him that he had misplaced it, and he left their overseas home feeling sorely disappointed. She had been using that PSP to play Project Diva ever since. It wasn't that her family couldn't afford to give her one too – on the contrary, she had declined when her parents offered to get her one. She had simply stolen Mikuo's PSP to teach him a lesson because he had annoyed her during his overseas visit and she just…forgot to return it. She didn't even know if she still had it.

"Oh. That thing," she laughed nervously. "He still remembers it, huh? It's been three years. Why didn't he ask about it sooner? How does he even know it's with me?" she laughed again, her voice becoming higher pitched than before. Piko was giving her a suspicious look. She hoped Mikuo hadn't told Piko the full story of how he had lost his PSP, because that would be somewhat embarrassing. It was even worse since Piko didn't really know her personally, so this probably wasn't the best first impression. The fact that she had thrown a plastic fruit bowl at his face and injured his left eye definitely didn't help.

"He didn't tell me much. He just said you stole it and that he wants it back. But how would I know where you put that thing?" Piko pressed the ice pack to his eye and yelped. "Man, I think my eye's swollen. I don't even want to know what it looks like now. You really have a lot of strength in that skinny body, don't you?" he groused. "I can't show up at the play on Sunday with a black eye. Well, this is just my luck. Obviously nothing good ever comes out of doing favours for anyone," he sighed.

"I'll go look for it. It's been three years, I don't know if I still have it anymore," she confessed. "But that's my problem to settle. If I can't find it I guess I'll just buy him a new one. Seriously, three entire years and he only brings it up now," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest defensively. Then she glanced up at the injured boy once more. "Uh, will you be going to Len's house now?" she asked. This really was so strange, one of Len's friends breaking into her house…Piko sighed again.

"I guess I have to, even with this stupid black eye. I'll tell Len I got into a gang fight or something," he grumbled. "Thanks for the black eye, Hatsune. I'll see you around," Piko turned and walked towards her front door, knocking his head against the wooden surface when he seemingly forgot that the door was closed. He cursed – she was feeling amused, she couldn't help herself – and aggressively pulled the door open, lurching out into the orange light of the setting sun. Miku hurried over the close the door after him, still shaking her head in amazement. This really was such an odd day.

Well, she'd better get to work searching for Mikuo's lost PSP. Though she figured it would be way easier if she just looked at her finances and tried to figure out if she had enough to afford a new one. She highly doubted that she had brought it home with her – in fact, it was probably stuck in an attic somewhere. Maybe she would take a look in her unpacked boxes and see what she could find.


	18. Chapter 18

Sunday came. Miku was busy twisting her hair up – a bun was an annoying style for her because her hair was so long – and the whole time, she kept an eye on the black dress on her bed. She had tried it on yesterday, Len thankfully not being around this time, and the dress fit her pretty well.

Sighing, she finished tying her hair and grabbed a flower pin, attaching it to her teal hair. it was a nice touch to an otherwise simple outfit. Shimmying out of her loose pyjamas, she picked up the black dress and tugged it on, being very careful to not mess up her hair. The dress settled onto her body and she twirled once in the dress, feeling the soft, floaty chiffon material against her bare legs.

Yesterday, after she finished studying for her test, Mizki came over to her place, complaining about how bored she was. Her older brother had gone out to town with a few friends, so she was stuck alone at home. The two of them ended up poking through the remaining things she still had yet to unpack, and together they actually managed to unearth Mikuo's PSP, which had been in a box of things she always carried from house to house but never bothered to unpack. It had been a while since she last looked into this box, and she barely remembered what was in that thing anymore.

She found quite a few old personal items, actually. Besides the PSP, which wasn't even hers, she also found an old photo album with photos of her and forgotten friends from forgotten cities, some old toys, her mother's toy jewellery box, two shirts which were too small for her now, a pair of worn-out flats and finally, a woven bracelet. The bracelet caught her eye because it seemed to stand out so much from the other items, and she picked it up from the box, studying it intently. Mizki commented that the bracelet was pretty, with which she agreed, but she had the feeling that it was once much more than an eye-pleasing accessory to her. Unable to remember anything, she just slipped it over her wrist and decided to think about the bracelet some other time. She was still wearing it now.

She slid the bracelet around her wrist. It was woven from three coloured pieces of twine – red, blue and yellow – and the cheerful colours lifted her spirits. There was just a bit of space between her wrist and the bracelet, and it had taken a bit of effort to put it on, so she must have received it when she was much younger and her hands were smaller. Where had it come from, and who had given it to her? She knew it was important. If it wasn't important to her, then she wouldn't have kept it in the box and carried it with her every time she moved, even if she couldn't remember why anymore.

Oh well, she had other things to think about for now. The play would be starting in two hours, and she still needed time to get to town. Len was driving her today since Rin was getting a lift from Kaito, and he would be here any moment now – they had all agreed to meet up earlier so that they could get into the theatre without having to queue for ticket inspection, plus they would be able to eat lunch together too before going inside the theatre. Forcing the hard bracelet off her wrist, she set it carefully on her dresser and patted her dress down, deciding that she looked fine. Miku didn't wear much makeup, so she just dabbed on a bit of lip gloss and did her favourite winged eyeliner before deciding that she was as ready as she would ever be. Grabbing her purse, she went down the stairs.

The PSP was in her purse too. Mikuo had called her yesterday and informed her that he would be attending the play and after-party too, as a favour to Piko. He also asked about his PSP, and she said that yes, she did find it – she had never heard her cousin sound so relieved before, and that included the time she went to his house and helped him with Teto. Boys and their games…she was surprised the PSP still worked, actually. Why did Mikuo want it so badly? He could always get a new one. And why did he suddenly think of it and ask Piko to collect it for him? She certainly didn't expect that.

Her black purse was remarkably full, mostly because of the PSP, so she didn't have much room for anything else. She managed to squeeze in her wallet and lip balm, but that was about it. She was looking forward to meeting her cousin and getting rid of the PSP though, since her purse was a little heavier than she was used to because of it. Just as she managed to close the purse, she heard a car honk from outside and looked out of the window. She saw a very familiar Ferrari car, and unbidden a smile flitted across her face. Len was right on time, which actually surprised her for some reason.

Already in her high heels – she was really unused to walking in heels, but this was simply not the kind of dress one could wear with flats – she tottered out of the house, locking the door behind her, and balancing carefully as she walked over to Len's car. Pulling open the car door, she slid into the seat, thankful that Len had chosen to keep the hood of the car up today. It was a remarkably hot day today given that it was already autumn, and she didn't want to feel the sun's rays directly upon her skin. Strapping herself in, she patted her bun, ensuring it was still in place, and glanced at the driver.

Len was watching her, something like a smirk on his face. "You look like you're about to fall over in those things," he tilted his head towards her feet, indicating her high heels. She sighed and rolled her eyes – the things she did for the sake of fashion. He picked up on her reluctance and his smirk widened. "Oh well, as long as you look nice, right? And you do," suddenly, he stopped smiling, giving her a very serious look. She raised an eyebrow at that. "You look nice, I mean," he clarified, his gaze never leaving hers. "And one thing I can say is that I don't give out compliments easily," he added.

"Well. Thanks, I guess," she was a little touched by the compliment, but reminded herself that this was Len and even if he claimed not to praise easily, he had probably told the same thing to plenty of other girls. Her talk with Rei two days ago made her hesitate. Until now, the Vice President had yet to give her any enlightening new rumours…not that she was surprised, since he surely had to be busy with Student Council matters, but the lack of information was making her antsy. She still did not know whether she fully trusted Len or not. They may be friends now because of the deal they made, but his reputation…plus his strange behaviour on Friday didn't help with her suspicions either.

"No problem," he answered quietly. He began to drive, the two of them remaining quiet. The silence wasn't exactly comfortable, but she didn't feel a need to fill it up with pointless chatter either. Miku wasn't sure if she would ever be fully comfortable being around Len, though. How could she, when she never really knew what he was thinking or understood his motives for anything? Until now, she couldn't figure out why he would sleep around with so many people, almost seemingly without any objective. It just didn't make any sense. Len himself made little sense, and that annoyed her. She was unused to there being uncertainty in her life. She had everything planned out already, and she would very much like to keep it that way. She did not foresee Len re-entering her life so abruptly.

She fiddled with her purse to keep her hands occupied. Some time ago, Len had switched on his stereo and now, the previous silence was filled up by bland, generic pop music. Not that she really had anything against mainstream pop, but she heard these songs so often in shopping malls and eateries that she would rather listen to something else. "Can I change the channel?" she asked, lifting her gaze from her lap so she could stare at the stereo. Len made a noise of assent, so she leant forward and started switching rapidly through the radio channels, trying to find something she liked.

Eventually, she stumbled across a channel playing classical music, and the relaxing sounds of a piano and violin floated over to her ears. She smiled in relief and leant back against her seat, humming quietly as she recognised the melody. It was one of her favourites by Bach. Len suddenly laughed, catching her attention – she turned towards him, noticing a wide grin on his face. "I just knew you were going to stop at that channel," he explained without needing her to ask. "Call it premonition if you will, but I'm honestly not surprised. You practice every day and hear the sound of the piano all the time. Wouldn't you want to switch things up a little?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I do switch things up. All the time, in fact," Miku shrugged, glancing over at him. Len kept his gaze fixed firmly on the road. They were cruising down the highway towards town now, but even so she could tell that he was listening intently to her. Len had this way of making you feel like he was hanging on to every word you said. She didn't know if she was the only person who felt that way, or if he really was a very good listener. If it was the latter, then no wonder he could catch the attention of so many girls…it was quite rare, it seemed, to find a guy who was attractive, smart and a good listener to boot. But that just reminded her of Rin's warning about how manipulative Len could be. "I listen to anything that I find nice or am in the mood for at that moment. Just last week I went back into my heavy metal phase," she shrugged again, feeling somewhat self-conscious about that – heavy metal was, after all, a very acquired taste. "But this week I'm in the mood for classical music, so here it is," she indicated the stereo. The last few chords of the Bach piece were fading into another piece.

"I get what you mean," Len eyed the stereo as well. "Your way of listening to music is much better than Mizki's, really. She's been into that pop garbage since forever. I mean, sometimes there is good pop music," he corrected himself, "but a lot of the songs nowadays are so generic. You could take out the words and the melodies all sound practically the same, it's just horrible," he shook his head, driving past the gantry into town and making a right turn at the traffic light. Miku looked out of the window at the tall buildings, towering over them. This was certainly a far cry from the suburbs.

"To each their own," she replied softly, and Len made another small sound of assent. Together, they listened to the different melodies as the channel played piece after piece, until finally they were at the Victoria Concert Hall, which was across the street from an art museum and flanked on all sides by trees and other aesthetically pleasing buildings. The concert hall itself was beautiful – all white marble and grand pillars, with a set of marble stairs leading up to the entrance itself. It didn't look like it would be a cheap place to rent, and she wondered how much the Student Council had raised in order to get this venue for the play. The children must be glad about this place, though. Being able to put on a play in such a theatre…she wasn't an actress, but if she was, she would appreciate this.

Len drove past the theatre to a parking complex nearby, meant for concert-goers. It was very full today, and they had to drive all the way up to the top of the complex in order to get a parking spot, but Len finally found an empty lot and parked his Ferrari, looking distastefully out at the concrete walls of the complex. "This place looks really sketchy. I hope no one will come here while we're watching the play to steal the cars or anything," he murmured, more to himself than to her. She heard him though, and had to hide a smile. Len seemed to worry a lot for his car, but if she drove something so expensive she guessed she would be worried about her car being stolen as well.

"Let's go, I think Rin and Mizki are already at the place where we agreed to have lunch," she opened the car door and got out as carefully as she could, taking care to put her weight on her toes rather than on her heel. She didn't want to snap her shoes or anything like that. Len, who had gotten out of the car in roughly half the amount of time she took, looked at her and shook his head. She couldn't tell if he really was disappointed or if he was just teasing her. There was another smirk on his face.

"The play would be over by the time you manage to walk to the concert hall," his tone was snarky. She glared at him, one hand placed against the hood of the car as she tried to balance, walking as quickly as she could towards him. In hindsight, maybe she ought to have bought a shorter pair of heels. These were four inches high stilettos and, though they looked good, they certainly didn't feel good for her poor feet. She had only been standing for a minute and her feet ached already.

"Thank you for pointing that out," she responded in a tone just as snarky as his, letting go of the car hood when she felt comfortable doing so. She could walk, though not very quickly, and she always had to be very careful to distribute her weight evenly. She really didn't like wearing heels, but she thought they would be appropriate for these kind of events. Besides, she hadn't worn a pair of heels out in a long time, so it was a change. Len walked beside her, purposely slowing his footsteps so that he could keep pace with her. She gritted her teeth and pressed on, refusing to even look at him.

He chuckled. "You're so stubborn," suddenly, she felt a warm hand close around her elbow. He was wearing a slate blue collared top with a black-and-grey striped bowtie, matched with a pair of light grey trousers. His blond hair, which was actually longer than his sister's now that she thought about it, was tied up into his usual ponytail at the nape of his neck. It was the perfect mix of smart and casual, and his outfit made him look _mature_. Not old, but mature, and definitely gentlemanly. It was a good look on him but given how attractive he was he'd probably look great in anything. "I'll help you so that you won't take an hour to get to the restaurant. Don't complain," he added, his vivid blue eyes twinkling in good humour. She wanted to say no, but ended up deciding against that.

Reluctantly, she let him support her, and together they reached the elevator which would bring them to the ground floor of the parking complex. The Victoria Concert Hall was just a few hundred metres away, and right opposite the road was The Cantina, where she and the rest of them had agreed to have their lunch. It was nearing one in the afternoon, the perfect time for a meal, and they would be joined by Rei and Luka. She was glad to meet her pink haired friend, since in the last week leading up to the play, they had hardly seen the President of the Student Council. She seemed to be terribly busy even with Rei's assistance, so it was nice to be able to talk freely with her once more.

"Piko came to your place on Friday for dinner, right?" she suddenly recalled what happened that day and wondered what excuse Piko had come up with for Len. Len blinked and looked at her, startled by the sudden question. Slowly, he nodded. She felt a small smile curving his lips. "He had a pretty nasty black eye. He wouldn't tell me what happened though…did he tell you anything?" she asked.

Len snorted. "Yeah, the guy next door kicked his pet cat and they got into a fight over that. Piko is very fond of Chico. That's the name of his cat, by the way," they went into the elevator and Len pressed the button for the ground floor, glancing up at the display over the elevator doors. She had to choke back a giggle – the excuse really was stupid, but it wasn't just that. The name of Piko's cat had suddenly reminded her of a particular anime she was tricked into watching before, and if Piko had chosen Chico knowing about the show…well, he had a better sense of humour than she thought. "But how did you know he had a black eye?" he asked, sounding curious. She sobered, thinking fast.

"Oh, I went out of my house to grab a snack from the deli and I happened to see Piko walking down the street. He had a pretty nasty black eye, but he didn't want to tell me anything about it. We had a chat and he mentioned that he's going to your house for dinner," she fibbed. Len frowned at her.

"That's funny, because normally he wouldn't go past the deli when coming to my place. It's a longer route for him…" he continued staring at her, until she started to feel just a little uncomfortable. Then suddenly he smiled again. "Well, maybe he decided to take the long route, I didn't bother to ask. And now you know why he has a black eye. Provided he wasn't lying to me, of course," his tone soured. "His reason sounds as stupid as saying 'my dog ate my homework'. Possible, but improbable. But whatever, it isn't my problem," he finished just as the elevator reached the ground floor.

She had to force a smile onto her face. Len's observations were too close to the truth for her liking. He was remarkably good at reasoning things out, wasn't he? Luckily he didn't seem interested in pressing for more information, though she didn't think he was convinced that she was telling the truth. Len supported her out of the elevator, and together they headed out of the parking complex, down the street towards The Cantina. The thought of that made her forget, for just a moment, about Len's suspicion. The Cantina was a pretty high-class restaurant and reservations were needed in order to dine there. Luka and Rei, who knew about the play since ages ago, had reserved a few seats in the restaurant today for their friends – though of course, their friends were expected to pay for their own meal – and, through Rei's connections, he managed to secure two more seats for her and her cousin, since both of them were unexpected guests and did not have a table there at first.

"Have you eaten at The Cantina before?" she asked, making small talk. Len made a small sound of assent. "What's it like inside?" she asked, curious. She had walked past the restaurant once with Rin and Mizki, and the latter had commented casually on how the chocolate soufflé there was heavenly. Rin said that she would give it a try in the future, when she was richer and could afford to actually eat there, and Mizki just laughed and said she would pay if they really wanted to try it. The Cantina wasn't so prestigious that it would cost hundreds of dollars to dine there, but it was still out of her usual price range…it never failed to astound her, how she was surrounded by so many wealthy people. Her family was pretty well-off too, but not to the same extent as Mizki, Rei and Rin's boyfriend, Kaito.

She was pretty sure that Len and Rin were considered rich as well, since Len drove a luxury car after all. It was just that Rin was constantly spending her money on stupid things. The other day, Rin told her she bought a brand new action figurine, all because it looked 'cool' – when asked if she knew which movie the figurine was from, Miku was met with a blank stare. Rin was the very epitome of impulse purchasing, and if this continued, her mother might be forced to confiscate Rin's debit card.

"Stuffy place for stuck-up people," Len answered shortly. She blinked, startled by his harsh words, and he let out a sigh. "It's always filled with celebrities who want to get away from the paparazzi. Personally, I only go there when I'm trying to avoid…you know, Tei. Since she can't get into the place without a prior reservation or a robust network of contacts...it's full all the time, and they usually only accept walk-ins who are somewhat famous. But I digress – I don't really like mingling with celebrities. They're very…how do I say this?" he mused. "Most of them put on a friendly front for the public, but when they're in the privacy of their homes or a restaurant, things…do change."

Miku knew that there was quite some celebrity presence in the town – this town was not located too far away from the capital city itself, and many famous people actually came here to get away from their busy lives. The glamorous part of the city with its many high-rise luxury penthouses and lofty apartments was filled with high-flying CEOs, directors and celebrities. She had seen a few before when she came here after school with Rin and Mizki, but she never noticed them anymore. She did pay attention the first few times she saw them, but Rin and Mizki never seemed to care, and after a few more times of seeing those familiar faces, she stopped bothering as well.

"You sound like you've had a nasty experience," she observed. Len's tone was distant, as though he didn't want to talk much more about the matter. They were walking down the street now, and the bright sunlight was beating down upon them. She wasn't perspiring yet, but she was feeling mildly uncomfortable in her all-black outfit and she knew it wouldn't be long before she was dying to get out of the sun. His grip on her arm tightened at her words, which made her wonder if he was trying to hide some secret from her – or maybe she was just reading too much into the entire situation.

"I had a few," he said evenly. "And in the past, I have…encountered famous girls. There are many here who are only looking for a good fling," and with that she decided not to ask anymore. Miku would prefer not to know any sordid details about his personal life. She didn't miss the faint smirk that flitted across his face when she shut up, and thought that maybe he had mentioned that bit of information on purpose. The Cantina was coming into view, and she saw Kaito waiting outside, looking around as though he was searching for someone. Len's fingers tightened around her again.

"Kaito?" he called out, catching the navy haired boy's attention. Kaito looked around towards them and smiled, suddenly looking relieved. Miku could not imagine why he would react in such a way upon seeing them. "What's the matter, why aren't you inside with the others?" Len asked when he got closer to Kaito. There was a waiter standing next to Kaito, watching them talk with a carefully neutral look upon his face. He was probably trained not to pay attention to the clientele – either that, or he truly didn't care what was going on in front of the restaurant. Probably the latter.

"I thought you got lost!" Kaito shook his head, closing the distance between them and placing a firm hand on Len's shoulder. Len stared at Kaito's hand on him for a moment, then lifted his gaze towards Kaito's face, a faint frown marring his features. "Mizki got into a really nasty argument with Honne Dell, you know, the up-and-coming actor who got a lot of roles in big action films lately…something about him blowing smoke into her face at a bar a few weeks back? I left because I couldn't stand the angry glares anymore, and I think at this rate they'll both get kicked out. You know Dell, don't you?"

Miku shot Len a look of surprise. He mentioned that he had encounters with celebrities before, but she thought it was all of a _certain_ nature – she didn't think that he actually befriended any of them, much less one who was…well, male. Len winced. "I wouldn't go so far as to call him a friend, but yes, he's definitely an acquaintance," he sighed heavily. "What, do you want me to mediate between him and Mizki? I can't guarantee that it'll work…Dell doesn't always like to interact with me," he warned.

"Whatever, just get to it so that the rest of us can eat in peace," Kaito said hurriedly. The waiter outside The Cantina still showed zero sign of interest in their conversation. "Come in – oh, you can strike their names off the list," Kaito added, glancing at the waiter. "Kagamine Len and…Hatsune Miku, right?" Kaito addressed her directly for the first time, giving her a warm smile. She blinked and nodded, surprised that he knew her full name or who she was at all, but it was a pleasant surprise.

The waiter nodded and glanced at the podium he was standing on, flipping through a clipboard which was placed on the wooden surface before him. "Very well, you may go in. Do enjoy your meal," the waiter drawled, ushering them inside the establishment. Miku hurried in the best she could in her heels, Len's grip on her never loosening at all. The two of them followed Kaito down a dim passageway, lit by warm chandeliers, and as they got closer to the other end she could hear the faint murmurs of conversation and the clinking of glasses. She wondered what to expect – people in beautiful clothes with beautiful faces, eating the finest cuisine and laughing gently over wine? This was a rather exclusive restaurant, so she wouldn't be surprised if it really turned out that way.

When she entered the main dining area though, she was pretty surprised. Certainly, it wasn't noisy and colourful like fast food joints or family restaurants, but it wasn't exactly the fancy kind of place she expected either. The others did say that The Cantina wasn't as classy as she thought it would be, but she had expected some level of…exclusivity. In all honesty, the place didn't look very much different from a nice restaurant – no people in formal attire, no servers constantly hovering around with wineglasses on small trays. She noticed a few celebrities around, IA and SeeU in particular, but the two female singers were chatting together and dressed pretty casually. Then she noticed a hand waving at them and turned to look. Rei was gesturing for her and Len to come over, so they did.

They were occupying an area that was near the very centre of the dining space. There were seated around a circular table with ten seats – most of them were occupied, with an empty one next to Rin and two empty places between Mizki's brother and her cousin. Mikuo, who was chatting with Piko, looked up and saw her approach. Miku was quite surprised to see him dressed nicely for once – his usual attire consisted of an oversized hoodie and old jeans. He had even worn that to their relative's wedding a year ago, much to the disapproval of her aunt. Mikuo didn't live with his parents, but they sent him money every month to pay for his tuition fees. She didn't know why he had moved out.

"Okay, so where's my PSP?" he asked loudly, catching the attention of everyone else at the table. Miku hit him on the shoulder and shushed him, embarrassed by the looks of curiosity. Quickly, she drew out the PSP from her purse and passed it over to her cousin, who took it happily and gave her a playful glare. She knew he wasn't really angry about the _borrowed_ PSP – Mikuo rarely ever got truly angry. "Sit down, Rei was telling us an interesting story," Mikuo pulled out the seat beside his.

"Isn't it a small world, though?" Luka, who was seated next to Rei, suddenly mused out loud. Her blue gaze flitted from Miku to Mikuo. "Who would have thought that Miku was related to Piko in such a manner? No one even knew he was friends with Miku's cousin," she laughed. Miku was just glad to see Luka being less tense. She looked lovely, dressed in a black cocktail dress and wearing her long pink hair in an intricate bun, similar to her own. "I'm glad both of you are here," she beamed.

Mikuo laughed. "Don't sweat it," he rubbed the back of his neck. "If Utatane asked me to come, and it's for a good cause…why not? Paying for this meal will probably burn a hole in my wallet though," he rolled his eyes. Miku was a little worried about the bill as well. She had prepared fifty dollars, but she didn't know if it would be enough. Mizki said that sometimes, depending on what she ordered, her bill might go up to around eighty to a hundred dollars, but Miku didn't intend to eat that much.

"Oh, don't worry about the bill," Rei waved it off, smiling at them. "I can pay, but if you really want to pay me back you can just return the money in instalments. I'm not really in need of cash anyway," he shrugged. "Actually, I didn't really want to eat here, but Luka said it would be convenient for us and she wanted a reward for all her hard work, so…besides, there's always paparazzi hanging around outside The Cantina, so we might be able to get some media coverage for our play," he added.

"I'm pretty sure that they're just waiting for IA and SeeU to leave the place," Kaito snorted, settling into his seat next to Rin. Miku glanced at Len, wondering how he would react to that, and saw Len just staring fixatedly at Yuma's glass of water. Yuma, Mizki's older brother, was seated between Len and his sister. He was lounging in his chair, looking perfectly comfortable in his element, but his hand was resting lightly on Mizki's shoulder. Miku then looked at Mizki and saw that she had her head slightly turned towards a table a little distance away from theirs, and she was glaring at someone.

Following Mizki's line of sight, her gaze settled upon the back of a man's head. He had his hair tied up in a ponytail just like Len, but his hair was bright silver instead of flaxen gold. His shoulders looked a little stiff to Miku. Was that Honne Dell, the actor Kaito mentioned earlier? Given how Mizki was glaring at him, it seemed likely. Miku had only ever seen two of Dell's movies, and he usually portrayed the anti-hero or the villain of the show, but he was very good at his craft. She actually wanted to watch his latest movie and wondered if it would be appropriate to ask for an autograph.

"Kaito asked you to go and mediate between Mizki and Dell, right?" she leant over in her chair and whispered to Len. Len blinked, momentarily distracted from Yuma's glass, and looked up at her. His blue eyes were narrowed. She tilted her head in Dell's direction and he followed her gaze, curious.

"You are so _rude_!" Mizki suddenly burst out, the same time Len looked at the actor. Dell instantly whipped around and Miku saw his crimson eyes, the feature for which he was most famous. They were the colour of blood, and because of that they were strangely mesmerising – she couldn't look away from him. His gaze was filled with irritation, and she was suddenly very thankful that she wasn't on the receiving end of that glare. Mizki, unsurprisingly, was undaunted. "Oh, so you finally quit ignoring me! Let's see how you like it, Mr Actor, if I happened to throw my drink at you –"

"God, Mizki, stop," Len interrupted as Kaito gave him a pleading look. "What's your problem?" Dell glanced over at Len's interruption and Miku noticed his red eyes widening slightly. Mizki whipped around to glare at him now, her green eyes burning. It was actually kind of scary, looking at her this way. She had seen Mizki being agitated before, but it was the first time she saw her really angry.

"My problem, Len," she seethed, "is _your_ interference. Just listen to Rei and his story and order your food or whatever, don't get in the way," she warned. They were attracting attention from the other tables now, and Miku wanted to crawl under the table and hide. This was not how she wanted to be remembered by the famous people in The Cantina – not as the girl who sat at the same table as the crazy pink haired girl causing all the commotion. Len rolled his eyes and got up from his seat, striding over to them. Yuma, who had stayed quiet the whole time, removed his hand from Mizki's shoulder.

From here, Miku couldn't hear what they were saying – Len had leant down and was speaking in a whisper to the both of them, but whatever he was saying seemed to have some effect on Mizki. The pink haired girl suddenly slumped down in her seat, turning away from Len and Dell and staring sullenly at her plate. Her older brother just patted her on her shoulder once more, but he didn't seem to be too displeased about the situation – thankfully, because Yuma was pretty protective of Mizki. Miku was actually rather intimidated by him. He was a CEO now, having been groomed from young to take over his father's company, so he had the air of a rich and proper businessman, but he also knew how to fight very well and the knowledge of that just made him seem very unapproachable. Mizki insisted, however, that her older brother was a sweetheart who just didn't like to talk often.

From what she heard, Len had a much better relationship with Yuma compared to his little sister. Probably something to do with their parents, since Rin mentioned that her father had some dealings with the Yamaha family corporation. Mizki and Rin were always vague about what the company did actually, so Miku had searched the internet once out of curiosity and found out that they were involved in quite a few businesses, ranging from wine to pharmaceuticals. They had a few global offices all around the world too, and their father was the company president. The reason why their parents were so free to travel all the time was because Yuma, as the CEO, did most of the work.

Suddenly, Dell rose from his table and followed Len out of the dining area, a waiter opening a small door at the side of the room for them. The door closed and the restaurant, which had been quietly watching the scene unfold the whole time, slowly went back to its usual business. Mizki was staring sullenly at her plate still. "Well, I guess it'll be some time before they come back," Rin suddenly spoke up. The blonde had been quiet the whole time, but she was watching Len talk to Dell too. "Let's just get our food first. Has everyone decided what they'd like to eat?" she asked, setting aside her menu.

The table broke out into quiet, but excited, chatter as everyone tried to decide on their meal. Miku felt rather out of place as she stared down the menu and saw things like escargots, foie gras and caviar and wagyu beef cubes. And those were just the starters. She looked up from the menu and exchanged a look with her cousin, who looked just as nonplussed as she did. "Don't eat those," Yuma, who had been quiet all this time and was evidently looking at her menu, suddenly spoke up quietly beside her. He had not moved from his seat, but the empty chair between them did nothing to hide the fact that they were, in fact, still pretty close. "Those are the expensive starters, and the reason why some people tout The Cantina as exceptionally expensive when really, it's possible to have a meal below fifty dollars here. Just go straight into their main courses," he advised. She nodded mutely, turning the page, and Yuma just went back to quietly perusing his own menu.

Yamaha Yuma was a very handsome man. He used to be engaged to a girl from another rich family, but the engagement was broken off a year ago and he had yet to find anyone new. Rumour said that Yuma hadn't been particularly displeased about the breakup, so she wondered if his parents had arranged the marriage or something. It was very odd to think that there might still be arranged marriages in their modern society, but then again she wasn't as rich as he was. Maybe rich people had practices different from hers. She would have asked Mizki, but it was a rather sensitive topic.

If she spent enough time around Yuma, she could foresee herself developing a bit of a crush on him – he was calm, steady and had the same light pink hair and sharp green eyes as his sister. He was pretty tall too, as tall as Kaito, and he seemed to be very rational and cool-headed. He probably had to be, to run such a big company on a daily basis. "Why is everything here so weird?" her cousin groused next to her, breaking her concentration. She hid a giggle and shrugged, flipping his page over as well. He frowned at the page. "Who the hell pays thirty bucks for a plate of spaghetti?"

"Rich people things, I guess," Piko drawled in response. She took her first proper look at the silver haired boy – she had not dared to look directly at him earlier, knowing it would be awkward for them – and saw that there was some distinct yellowing around his left eye, with a small dark spot near the bridge of his nose. She winced. The bruise was recovering, but it certainly looked painful. Mikuo snorted in response, closing the menu and shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Well, I'm not rich. And I don't want to pay thirty bucks for pasta when I could make pasta myself at home," he grumbled. Piko and her cousin were so similar that she wasn't surprised at all they were friends… "Maybe I'll just have their soup. They have French onion soup, and it seems good. What about you, Miku?" he asked, turning towards her. Piko glanced at her too, looking almost offended by her presence. She was still very sorry about hitting him, but he shouldn't have snuck into her house to begin with! Anyone else would have reacted the same way she did, she was certain.

"I don't know, maybe I'll wait for Len to come back so that he can recommend something. He said that he's been here a few times, after all," she decided. Mikuo raised an eyebrow at that, and Rin also looked up from her conversation with Rei at the mention of her brother's name. "When will he be back?" she asked, just curious about what Len and Dell were talking about. Rin frowned at her.

"Maybe five or ten more minutes? I can't guess what they might be talking about…" Rin sighed, tucking some of her blonde hair behind her ear. She had let her bangs down today instead of clipping them up like she usually did, and her fringe swept over one eye, reminding her an awful lot of Len. Rin had also ditched the bow for today, wearing a black ribbon choker instead. "But I do know the story of how the two of them met, if you're interested in finding out," she added.

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a fascinating story," Rei piped up. "I'd like to know more. I mean, Dell doesn't look like the easiest person to get along with, and Len doesn't seem to be interested in acting or anything either…so how did the two of them meet?" he asked. Miku was interested in finding out more too, nodding along with whatever Rei said. Rin just gave them both a small smile.

"Well…okay, so here's a little-known fact – my Life Drawing tutor actually also works in the creative department of a major advertising company. One of his accounts required a model for a new line of shirts, and they didn't have a very big budget so they couldn't afford a professional model. So my tutor was pretty stressed about finding a model since he had to recommend the model to the client first, and if they didn't like it, it'd be back to square one. Meanwhile, for some reason my brother decided to volunteer to be drawn for one of our classes – thankfully not for the naked body, because I think the girls were distracted enough even while he was fully clothed," Rin rolled her eyes at this.

The whole table was listening now except for Yuma, who had picked up a call and was now speaking quietly into his mobile phone, his hand covering his mouth. Miku half-expected him to get up from the table and continue his conversation in a more private space, but he didn't. "My teacher decided that he was an absolute natural and asked Len if he was willing to model for him, just for one day and for a very small project. Len agreed after some initial reluctance…he doesn't want to be famous or anything, and all his notoriety now is just an unfortunate consequence of his…um, hobby," Rin's gaze met hers, and she stared right back at the blonde. Piko made a small noise of amusement.

"Oh, I remember that. People were clipping out his advertisement from magazines for days, they even sold out all their copies of that publication. I think his poster is a collector's item now," Mizki snorted, evidently out of her sulk. Miku found this to be strangely amusing. "What was he modelling for again…? Some indie fashion brand, right? And their eco-friendly line of smart casual attire?"

"Yeah, that one," Rin nodded. "Len ran into Dell at the modelling shoot – it just so happened that Dell was booked for a photoshoot in the same studio, so they just talked for a while…anyway, that's how the two of them met. But I can't say anything about their friendship, because I don't know anything about that," Rin shrugged her slim shoulders. "In fact, I'm not very sure if Len and Dell see each other as friends or just working partners or something. I mean, Dell doesn't _look_ very friendly, and I know Len isn't the easiest person to talk to…but for that, you'll just have to ask Len yourself!"

Miku remembered Len telling Kaito that he wouldn't consider Dell a friend, and her curiosity about him and Dell grew. Anyone else might have bragged about having a personal relationship with a famous actor, but not Len. He was really strange, and she couldn't figure him out even if she wanted to. His motives for his actions, the way he behaved, Rin's warning about him, Rei's subsequent reassurance that Len was safe…he was a conundrum, and the only thing she felt was absolutely true about him was his memory loss when he was little. Unless he was a really good actor who pretended not to remember her at all, he definitely had lost his memory of that year. He was impossible to figure out…did she want to dig any deeper into Len's fragmented life? She knew she might regret it. Rin's warning rang clear in her head, and she noticed the blonde was giving her a steady look.

Yeah, she and Len were getting close…but she wanted to help him, she really did. And some part of her couldn't help but believe that maybe, just _maybe_ , something of the old Len still hid deep within the boy who called himself Kagamine Len now. She wanted to unearth that part of him and bring it back to the surface – to _change_ him for the better. A romantic, stupid idea, but one she clung to nevertheless. After all, he was her wonderful friend when she was younger, and all these years she never forgot him. She had been pretty excited about seeing him when she returned actually, until she heard what Mikuo said about Len. Then all the doubts came in, and even now, she still doubted.

"Yeah sure, I'll ask him about that," she finally murmured. Rin nodded slowly at that and her attention finally returned to Rei, who was now chatting with both her and Luka, talking about what the hospice would do with the funds they raised from the play. Miku just stared down at her empty plate, alone amidst all the commotion around her, thinking about Len. When would he come back?


	19. Chapter 19

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," Len slid back into his seat, touching Miku's shoulder lightly as he did so. Miku, who was chatting with her cousin and had not noticed Len's return to the table, jumped at the unexpected contact. She glanced around at him, wondering what he and Dell had spoken about.

Len didn't look any different after his conversation with Dell. She looked away from Len for a moment, searching for the table the silver haired actor had been sitting at. She saw that he was now asking for the bill. He had been sitting alone, which she now found to be rather strange since she didn't think anyone would eat alone in a restaurant. The actor didn't even acknowledge Len again on the way out of The Cantina, which made her wonder again what the two of them had been talking about. She still thought it was astounding that Len had so many acquaintances. He certainly had friends in high places.

Rei didn't seem too bothered by Len's return to the table. "We've all ordered already, so go ahead and get what you want. Well, all of us except for Miku," Rei added, his golden gaze slanting curiously over to her. "I don't think she ordered anything yet. Something about not having any idea what to eat. You should really get something, you know," the dark boy shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. "The play is two hours long and the Victoria Concert Hall only has a vending machine for drinks so if you don't eat now, you won't be able to get food later," he cautioned. Miku nodded at his advice – it wasn't like she didn't want to eat, but everything on the menu was so expensive that she thought whatever she ordered had better be worth the money. She didn't want to borrow anything from Rei, and if the food ended up being... _average_ , she'd be upset. The cost of one meal here could last her two days at least.

"You haven't ordered anything?" Len gave her a look filled with surprise. She nodded again, this time less vigorously. There was something almost like disapproval on Len's face, but she couldn't understand why he would look at her that way. After all, it wasn't like he was her father. Mikuo was her cousin and even he didn't care. He let out a sigh. "Like Rei said, you should get something. I wouldn't want you to starve during the concert or anything," he picked up the menu before him, flipping casually through the pages. "Is there anything in particular you feel like having?" he asked, glancing up from the menu at her.

"Anything that's good and value for money will do," she shrugged, self-consciously staring down at her plate instead of at the blond boy. How nice it must be, to be able to eat at this kind of establishment without worrying about the cost of the meal. She saw him flipping the pages again and decided to leave him alone to think about his lunch, instead turning her attention back to Mikuo and Piko. The two friends were now talking about Piko's black eye, and Piko kept giving her pointed looks as he told her cousin the same lie he told Len. Miku figured that he was just embarrassed to admit that his injury was caused by a girl holding a fruit bowl, and she had to force herself not to laugh. Boys and their pride…

"How about this?" Len's voice caught her attention once more and she turned back to look at him. The blond boy was holding the menu open and pointing towards one of the main courses on the page. She took a look at what he had indicated, the first thing she looked out for being the price. Her eyes widened – this was definitely _way_ out of her budget of twenty dollars. "I know the price is a little steep," Len made a face, looking rather distressed, "but it's really good and trust me, there's a lot of it. You can probably share this with someone and split the bill with them, then it won't be so bad," he explained.

"Lobster and squid ink risotto," she read out, finding the relevant illustration. True to what Len said, it did look like the dish was quite big. "That sounds like an odd combination," she commented. Len just shot her a lazy smirk, flipping the menu closed. Her heart sped up just a _tiny_ bit when he grinned at her like that. No matter what, he was still ridiculously handsome, and she wasn't entirely immune to his good looks. Not that she was going to do anything she knew she would end up regretting.

"It's not half bad," he drawled. "Why don't we share it? I'm quite fond of it, but I'm not very hungry today. Dealing with Mizki and Dell robbed me of my appetite," he muttered, so quietly that she almost missed what he said. She was curious about what he and the actor talked about, but Len didn't seem willing to divulge any information about their conversation. "How about it?" he prompted when she didn't say anything in response to his offer. She blinked and slowly nodded, figuring that there was no harm in trying out Len's recommendation. Besides, she was the one who wanted him to suggest something to eat.

Len raised a hand, waiting for someone to come and take his order. One of the servers hovering around in the restaurant came towards them to take his order, and Len asked for a cup of hot green tea along with the risotto. This caught her attention – she never knew that Len liked tea. It was one of her own preferences, and she glanced at her own steaming cup of tea. Green tea just didn't seem like it was something Len would enjoy. It was too bland, the undertones too bitter. He was…she realised then that she didn't even know how to place him. What was he, exactly? Sadistic? Not particularly. But he wasn't exactly sunshine and flowers, either. The only thing she could think of was broken. Len was broken.

But she still never thought that he would be someone who appreciated the taste of tea, much less green tea, which was arguably less flavourful than other types of tea. Len had taken out his phone and was now checking something, so she took the chance to look around the table, observing what everyone else was up to. Rei, Rin and Luka were listening to Kaito as the navy haired boy waved his hands about, talking animatedly. Piko and Mikuo were now huddled together over Piko's phone, so she guessed the two of them were playing a game or something. It didn't surprise her at all that they were friends.

On her other side, Len was still reading through his messages, a faint frown on his face. Her gaze skipped over him and landed on Yuma and Mizki. Mizki was sullenly poking her glass of water, apparently still unhappy about whatever Len said to her just now. Yuma, who was no longer on the phone, was staring idly at his own glass of water. She found that odd since by now she was used to Yuma being overprotective of his sister, so she figured he would be at least attempting to comfort her. The older Yamaha sibling seemed content to ignore his sulking sister though. As she continued to stare at him, he suddenly looked up at her, as though aware that she was watching – hastily, Miku looked away, her cheeks warming.

That was embarrassing. She hoped he didn't think that she had a problem with him or anything. Yuma seemed like a really cool, aloof kind of person, and he was the complete opposite of Mizki. Maybe that was why they were siblings…because they balanced each other out? Len and Rin were very different too. It seemed like siblings were either extremely similar or completely unlike each other, at least from what she observed. "Hey, Miku," Len locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket, turning towards her. She looked at him, and he gave her a charming smile. "You're attending the party after the play right? You promised," his voice lilted slightly, almost teasing. She nodded, sighing quietly to herself. She could have been back home waiting for her parents, but here she was, pressured into joining this silly thing. But she knew that if she backed out she would disappoint her friends, and she didn't want to do that. The concept of friendship was almost foreign to her by now, but the knowledge that she would no longer have to say farewell a few months after meeting new people was a great comfort to her.

"Yeah, and you promised to drive me home before it got too late too," she reminded him. He smiled flirtatiously at her, which made her want to push him away. It was so unlike Len to be behaving this way around her, and it reminded her uncomfortably of the way he acted when he came to her house the other time. Miku was pretty sure that he was attempting to seduce her or something. It was a disturbing thought given what she knew about him, and she hoped that he hadn't reached his limit with the whole sex ban or something. That would make things extremely unpleasant. "Behave yourself," she hissed, eyeing Len's twin sister to see whether she could get any help from her. Rin was still listening to Kaito talk, nodding vigorously along with her boyfriend, so it didn't seem like Rin would he helping her out of this situation anytime soon. Why did she and Len have to end up sitting together today, of all days?

"But I _am_ behaving myself," Len frowned, turning to thank the waiter when he brought Len his cup of green tea. The waiter left just as silently, and Len reached out for the ceramic cup, bringing the tea to his lips. "It smells nice," he sounded almost wistful. "It's good to drink tea every once in a while. It's not my favourite drink, but…you can't deny that there's something almost addictive about this, isn't there?" he held up the cup, indicating the steaming liquid. Miku couldn't help but agree, though she felt a little thrown off by his quickly changing attitude. Now this was a Kagamine Len she didn't see every day.

"Are you all right?" she decided to show some concern since he was a friend, after all. Len sipped from his cup, giving her a blank stare as he drank. It looked as though he hadn't heard her. "What did you and Dell talk about?" she lowered her voice, leaning slightly closer to him as she spoke. If he didn't bring it up immediately of his own volition when he returned to the table, then it must be a private matter – but she hoped that he would be willing to tell her more about their conversation. After all, she and Len were friends, right? Len set the cup of tea down, and for a while he just looked down at the white tablecloth, maybe still pretending that he hadn't heard her. She almost prompted him again, but before she could open her mouth he sighed and closed his eyes, finally turning back to face her. He looked resigned.

"Let's just say that Dell and I have more mutual acquaintances than I initially knew of," Len said flatly, one of his hands absentmindedly reaching up to tug on his ponytail. Miku noticed that he had a habit of fidgeting with his hair or rubbing the back of his neck when he was nervous or restless. But that was nothing new – he had been doing that since he was young, and she remembered because she knew all the little things he did when they were children. All his habits and behavioural tics were stored away somewhere in the deepest recesses of her memories, and seeing him fidget like this now just made her think back to when she was young and happy. "And I'm not pleased about the fact. The less I know about Honne Dell and his extended family members, the better my life will be," he muttered.

Yeah, she shouldn't probe any further. He didn't look comfortable talking about this topic. "I can't wait for the play to begin," she changed the subject, "I bet the children worked hard for it. And Rei seems excited about watching it, so it has to be good," she glanced at the dark boy again. Rei was the one talking instead of Kaito now. He just naturally seemed to get along with everyone, and that made her envy him in a way. It wasn't very easy for her to communicate with other people. Even during the period when she was surrounded by a lot of so-called friends, she had never felt very comfortable among them.

Len looked thoughtful. "I suppose so. But don't you think it's rather silly to support a hospice with the money raised from the play?" she stared at him, eyes wide, as Len's gaze went over to the other side of the table, where Rei and the others were sitting. That thoughtful look from before was still on his face. "I mean, after all children are in the hospice for one reason. What's the point of giving money to people who are seriously ill, children who are going to die? And letting them put on a play, don't you think that's almost cruel? To give them a semblance of a normal life when deep down, surely they must know that it's nothing but an illusion, an ungraspable dream…if it were me," his gaze slanted back over to her, "I would just give up. I would lie on my bed until I finally got to see my maker," a smile curved his lips.

The smile was nothing like the charming one he had given her just moments ago. If she had to describe it, she would call it hollow. She swallowed – she always did think that the blond haired boy was a lot more thoughtful and contemplative than how he presented himself to the general public, but this…this was a new side to Len she had never encountered before. Honestly, she didn't know how to deal with it either. "I disagree with that," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain herself, and she continued. "I believe that it's a good thing, to use the money raised to fulfil their final dreams. I mean, they were born and they lived too, no matter how short those lives were. It would be cruel and unfair to just write them off as though they never existed. We should help ease their passing, even if we know that it's inevitable. And we should never give up hope. As long as they live, there is hope," she argued, suddenly overtaken by an overwhelming urge to speak up against Len's sudden pessimism.

"…How naïve," his smile widened. "But maybe that's why I like spending time with you. Miku, you are so different from me that talking to you is a pleasure. I guess I just don't know how to appreciate life the way you do. A little hard to when you've been living for years with an emptiness that just won't go away, no matter what you do," he sighed. "But enough with the dreary talk. Why don't you chat with your cousin for a while?" he asked, glancing across her at Mikuo, who was talking to Piko still but occasionally shot Miku a curious look as she spoke to Len. She hadn't failed to notice his shifty gaze. "He seems to want your attention. And I have a few emails to respond to, so I'll be busy," he took his phone out before she could say anything in reply, focusing intently on his work. So she sighed and did as he suggested.

Whatever Len and Dell had spoken about clearly affected Len in some way. It was the first time she had seen him acting like this. Sure, they weren't exactly best friends and the conversation between them was often more awkward than not, but he was usually pretty neutral about most topics and when they talked about things they shared in common, like the Music Festival or their love for the piano and music composition, he was actually pleasant to chat with. He never really got too deep or philosophical about anything, preferring to steer the conversation towards lighter subjects, and this was the first time she actually got a glimpse of how Len's mind might work. She had never thought that he would be so… _depressive_.

"I thought I told you not to get close to Kagamine Len," she jumped when her cousin leant over and whispered in her ear. She turned to stare at him and noticed that he was looking worriedly at her. "Remember what happened between him and Teto? I really don't want that to happen to you either," Mikuo went on in that same quiet voice, his gaze constantly flitting between her and Len, who was busy on his phone. Miku wondered about what he was doing. "I thought it was weird that the two of you came together, but well…okay, I'm not at liberty to control who you befriend, but I'm worried for you."

"Mikuo, you don't need to worry about me," she whispered back, feeling a little touched that her cousin was expressing his concern in such a blatant way. Piko was now talking to Luka, both of them looking increasingly irritated with each other. Miku guessed that the President was probably scolding him for something he did wrong. "I know what I'm doing. And I won't let Len turn me into one of the girls he sleeps around with," she sighed, looking back at Len as well. Len didn't give any indication whatsoever that he was listening to her and Mikuo, his gaze fixed intently on his screen. It was almost funny since Yuma, who was sitting right next to him, was doing the exact same thing. But it was understandable for Yuma since he was working in his parents' company, after all. What could Len be so busy with?

"I know you won't, I just don't want Len to get any funny ideas," Mikuo exhaled in an exaggerated way, putting his arm on the table and using his fist to prop his face up. "You're a girl, after all. Personally, I have nothing against the guy…except for the fact that he messed Teto up really bad, but in terms of conversation I could talk to him. I'm a guy, Piko's a guy, we have established that guys are safe around Kagamine Len," Mikuo's green eyes, so like hers, met her gaze intently. "But you're not a guy. So I find it really weird that he's actually…I don't know, not aggressively pursuing you. It makes me suspicious," he shook his head. "Like from the stories I hear, he never just… _befriends_ a girl. He hardly ever bothers."

"Maybe I'm just not his type?" Miku hedged, already feeling awkward about this topic. She didn't want to tell Mikuo about her deal with Len, that she would agree to be his friend if he stopped sleeping around. For some reason she didn't think her cousin would react too well to that plan. It just sounded so unorthodox that unless she absolutely had to bring it up, she wouldn't say anything about it to anyone, not even to her cousin. Mikuo snorted at that, once more glancing at Len. Miku turned slightly to look and realised Len was no longer on his phone. Instead, he was staring right back at them, his expression blank so she couldn't guess what he was thinking. She swallowed, hastily returning her gaze to Mikuo.

"I don't believe he has a type to begin with, so long as you're female," Mikuo lowered his voice so that Len definitely wouldn't hear him. Miku had to lean in closer just to listen to what he had to say. "Just be careful. I don't know what kind of relationship you and Len have exactly, but just remember what happened to Teto. I really don't want you to end up like that. I bet your mum would be really upset if you got screwed over that way," Mikuo shook his head. "Especially after you claimed to leave your rebellious years behind," he added.

"Don't bring those up, they weren't a pleasant period in my life," Miku made a face. "And believe it or not, no one really ever tried to make a move on me. I guess it's just because I seemed like such a lone wolf in the past," she shrugged. Mikuo did not know everything about her childhood – for one thing, he certainly didn't know exactly how rebellious she was when she was younger – but he knew that she didn't always get along with other people. Mikuo was pretty much the only cousin she could stomach out of their entire family tree. The others were just too pompous for her, or they were so young that she simply didn't know how to connect with them. Mikuo was the only one who was anywhere near her age.

Miku knew that she didn't have much longer before Len butted in to their conversation, so she hurried to wrap it up. She could feel his blue gaze boring a hole into her back. "Hey, I know you two used to be friends when you were younger, but don't forget that he's not the same guy anymore," Mikuo gave her one final word of warning. "I know that you're aware of what you're doing, just be careful okay?" she gave him her promise, and in exchange he shot her a relieved smile. "Okay, then you can talk to him. He keeps looking over at us, and I bet he's wondering what we were chatting about for so long," Mikuo nudged her side playfully before turning back towards Luka and Piko. So Miku faced Len once more.

"You and Mikuo look close," Len remarked the moment their gazes met. There was a small smile on his face and his blue eyes reflected the lights in The Cantina, making him looks almost otherworldly. He really was beautiful. When he was younger she always thought he was cute, but she never gave much thought to what he might look like when he was older. It shouldn't be surprising at all that he grew to be such a looker. "Kind of reminds me of Rin and I…at least, back when we were little. We kind of drifted apart as we grew older," he sounded wistful now. Miku was thankful he didn't ask about what she and her cousin had been talking about. She didn't want to lie, but obviously she couldn't tell him the truth.

"I think that's a pretty normal thing for most siblings," Miku pointed out. Sibling relationships was a safe topic – she didn't think even Len, with his sudden moodiness, could take that and challenge her morals or philosophical views. Their chat about the hospice and the point of raising funds for terminally-ill children had shaken her – she never thought that Len could be so calculative. Maybe what Rin said about Len losing a part of his humanity along with his memories was true. "At least for siblings which are close in age. I don't know, though. Mikuo and I only met during family gatherings in the past because his parents didn't move around often like mine, but we kept in contact through the phone. So I think that my situation isn't exactly the same as yours, since you and Rin grew up together in the same house?"

"Yeah, we did. Not that I remember a lot of it," his offhanded reply startled her, and he noticed the look of surprise on her face. He let out a small laugh. "Oh, I guess I didn't fully explain my situation. You already know about what happened to me when I was ten, but I didn't talk about how it affected the memories before that…hmm, I still remember my early childhood, but it's very fuzzy. So I guess in a way I can't remember anything before the accident at all! Just that the one year which was forgotten is the only one where I can't remember a single thing. At least for other years, I can remember a little bit."

"That sounds terrible," she bit her lip, thinking over his situation. What would she have done if she was in Len's place, if she couldn't remember everything that happened during her childhood? Honestly, she was kind of surprised that Len could really function at all. It had to be horrible, walking around with such a huge chunk of your identity wiped away. If he could hardly remember anything about his childhood before the accident, which took place when he was ten…didn't that mean he had pretty much forgotten about half of his entire life? Len was only eighteen years old. He had forgotten an entire decade.

"Well, you don't need to feel bad for me," Len's response was jovial, unlike what she expected. "I got used to it a long time ago. Of course I still want to remember everything, but sometimes I do wonder if I would be better off leaving it be. If I search so desperately for my memories in a bid to find the answers I want, and it turns out that my past doesn't offer any solution to my problems…then wouldn't I be even more crushed?" he mused, tilting his head. "Sometimes we need to know when to stop looking for what we left behind. There's probably a reason why I ended up losing such a specific part of my memory even if I don't know what the reason is, at the moment. Wouldn't it be better to just go on with my life the way it is now?" his smile was bitter. "It's pleasant enough, so I don't need anything else, do I?"

"No! You need to remember!" she raised her voice a little, and Yuma looked up from his phone at her, looking curious about her outburst. She swallowed and tried to tone it down. Len himself looked rather surprised by her sudden agitation. "Those memories are a really important part of you. You can't just give up on them because it's getting difficult. You're remembering more and more about that music piece right? And you found your old diary…if you keep at it, you're bound to remember, and even if it doesn't provide you with the answers you want at least you won't feel like you're missing a part of yourself anymore," she wasn't sure who was more determined to remember, him or her. She didn't want Len to just give up on his past. She was a part of that past, and if he didn't remember her…

Len blinked at her. "You're right, I guess," he sounded hesitant. "I just want an explanation…" his words trailed off, and she was left curious about what questions he was asking – why did he think that his missing memories might hold the key to his problems? "Anyway, you seem more enthusiastic about me recalling things than I am," his tone sounded more humorous now. Miku took the chance to calm herself down, hoping that Len wouldn't begin suspecting that there was something wrong with her. She should not have reacted so strongly, but when he talked about giving up…she knew that she didn't want him to stop trying. She selfishly wanted the old Len back, and she thought that maybe, if he could remember…

"I just didn't want you to sound so lifeless," she answered, hoping that was enough to explain her behaviour. "I never thought you were one to be so pessimistic…you never gave me that impression before so it was strange to hear you talking about giving up. We might not have known each other for long," which was a complete lie, "but you always seemed like a driven, focused, determined kind of person and it wouldn't make sense if you just gave up halfway," she fidgeted under his steady gaze. That last part wasn't a lie. She knew Len was driven. She could see it in the way he practiced the piano, in the amount of time and energy he devoted to perfecting his music. And the old Len she knew always had been an optimist, so hearing him talk about depressing things just didn't match her image of him. Though this Len may not be the one she knew, they were the same person and…she didn't want things to be different. His attitude towards girls was enough of a change. She didn't want his old positive outlook on life to change completely as well. That was the only part of the old Len she had left.

"Yeah, I am a pretty determined person," his blue gaze regarded her curiously. "But I'm also naturally depressing. It's probably just a side of me you haven't seen yet," he laughed, but his laughter sounded humourless. "After I got into the accident, Rin says I changed. She's right, I guess," he sighed, looking away from her and picking up his cup of green tea. The liquid had cooled off somewhat, and it was no longer steaming. "But how are you supposed to believe in the best of other people if you can't even see the good in yourself?" he questioned. She didn't know if he had asked this question for her to answer it or if this was just a rhetorical question. For a moment, Len appeared to have forgotten entirely about her presence.

"You are a good person, Len," the words spilled out naturally. She wanted so badly to believe in them despite knowing how he treated girls, despite knowing how broken he was inside. She desperately wanted to believe that the old Len was still there, hidden under fragments of lost memory. His gaze went back to her, looking surprised. "You agreed to stop toying with people, right? Which is why we're friends now," she smiled. He didn't move or say anything for a while, remaining as still as a statue. She thought she had said something wrong, but suddenly he downed his entire cup of green tea and placed the empty cup back on the table. He laced his fingers together and turned to face her, a sweet smile on his face.

It was one of those rare times Len wasn't smirking or trying to seduce someone. She thought he looked best when he smiled naturally. "Yes, that's why we're friends now," he agreed, his tone light-hearted. She thought that he seemed more cheerful now than he was mere moments ago, which lifted her spirits slightly too. At least what she said cheered him up a little. She had not thought through her words and just blurted out the first things which came to mind – it was a miracle she didn't manage to offend him somehow. Miku was not very good with words, and sometimes her bluntness could hurt people. She realised that some time ago, and it was one reason why it was so difficult for her to socialise.

Before she could say anything else, their food came – the squid ink risotto with lobster pieces, the whole dish simmering in a seafood broth. "Enjoy your meal," the server said quietly, placing down two smaller bowls along with the giant plate of risotto. Len and the illustration did not lie about the size of this dish. Miku thanked the server, and he nodded back in acknowledgement before he turned and walked away.

"Wow, that's _huge_!" Rin exclaimed from the other side of the table, having noticed what Len and Miku ordered for lunch. She currently had some cheese baked rice in front of her, and the stringy, gooey cheese which dripped from her spoon made Miku envious. Oh well, at least she had food now – the risotto looked and smelled fantastic actually, and she watched Len beam as he held up one of the smaller bowls, scooping rice into it. "You want to share some, Miku?" Rin continued, still eyeing her lunch. "I'll give you some of my cheese baked rice. I know you want it…you keep on looking at it!"

Miku was about to answer when Len interjected. "Please, as though anyone would be willing to exchange their expensive lobster risotto for your cheese baked rice," his tone was snarky. "I could make that at home. Miku, don't give any to her," he turned to her and winked. "Just come over to my place next time and I'll make you some cheese baked rice. Unlike my twin sister, I can actually cook pretty well."

"Hey! You never cooked for me before!" Rin protested. Miku just stayed out of the argument as the two blond haired twins got into a pretty nasty quarrel, but secretly she was kind of happy about the whole thing. Len no longer looked or sounded as listless as he did earlier, and looking at him arguing energetically with Rin made her feel satisfied too. She wished that every day could be like this.


	20. Chapter 20

The play was cute. Miku wasn't one to appreciate theatre, but even she could see that the children had put in a lot of effort into putting on this play. Most of the children looked relatively normal – it wasn't what she would visualise when she thought of the word 'hospice'. But she knew they were ill.

She sat between Len and Rin at the concert hall, since her cousin and Piko insisted on being at the end of the row so that it would be easier for them to get out of their seats later. She was sitting somewhere in the middle and it wasn't too far away from the stage itself, so she had a pretty good view of the action. The play used here was 'Othello' by William Shakespeare – hardly the cutest of productions, but the children were so intense and serious about their roles that she couldn't help but find it adorable. Len was watching the play intently, and she wondered if he was getting any ideas for their music project from watching the performance. They hadn't really started on it yet.

Of course she had already sent him the music score they wanted to use, but she was still feeling a little insecure about the fact that they intended to use _her_ work. She didn't think she was a terrible composer, in fact she felt she was pretty good. But she knew that Len was better. It would make more sense to use his old work if they didn't intend to come up with a piece of their own – which seemed likely, given that Len wanted to focus his attention on the song from his memories rather than on a new piece for the Music Festival – plus he had turned down using another one of his pieces as well…he was surprisingly fussy. But that wasn't a bad thing. It was probably why he always won.

She would ask him if he got any inspiration later. They were closing the second act, where Iago was winding up his soliloquy. She was amazed by the actors' ability to memorise their lines given that they were so young, and this was not the abridged version of the play. They had to have rehearsed for a long, long time in order to get to this level. And since most of them were living in the hospice, that truly was commendable. The audience clapped as the curtains fell, concluding Act II, and she shifted a little in her seat while waiting for the third act to begin. She wondered how much time had passed since the play started, but her phone was in her purse on the carpet and she didn't feel like leaning down to pick it up. Rin was whispering in Kaito's ear, so Miku turned to Len. "Len," she murmured.

The blond boy glanced at her, a slightly dazed look on his face – it seemed like she had interrupted him while he was thinking about something. "Yes?" he asked, his voice slightly louder than hers. Then he glanced around and cleared his throat, lowering his voice. "What do you want?" he asked, quietly this time. She tapped at her bare wrist, asking about the time, and Len looked down at his watch. He was wearing a square watch with a black leather strap, and it certainly didn't look cheap. It was odd how guys seemed to invest so much in cars and watches. Even her cheapo cousin, Mikuo, was willing to pay good money for a branded watch. Were watches really that important to guys?

"It's half-past four," he told her. "It's still quite early…I'm not sure what the others here are going to do after the play since people don't usually start going to clubs until around nine at least. It's too much hassle to go home though," he observed. Miku shrugged, not knowing what else to suggest either. She would actually rather go home, but she knew the others would want to hang around. Maybe they could just find somewhere to have an early dinner before coming back to MinkPink.

"Did you get any inspiration for the Music Festival?" she changed the subject, being more curious about that than their plans after the play anyway. Len opened his mouth, but before he could say anything the spotlight on the stage came back on, signalling the start of the third act. He placed a finger against his lips and leant back into the seat once more, focusing upon the play. Letting out a quiet sigh, she did the same, watching Cassio and a group of children entering the stage. She knew what would happen next – she had studied the play before, and she never really understood the humour of this part. She knew it was supposed to be funny, but she didn't appreciate Shakespearian English enough to understand it. Len seemed to be remarkably interested in this scene, though.

She glanced at her other side, where Rin was sitting. Rin was watching the play too, though unlike her brother there was a faint hint of boredom on her face. Her hand was placed on the armrest, and Kaito's hand was on top of hers. Well, Rin may not be fully enjoying herself but at least she had her boyfriend's company to distract herself with. It was a good chance for her to spend time with Kaito outside of school, anyway. Miku leaned out a little, looking at the others seated along the row – Piko and Mikuo all the way at the end, followed by Rei and Luka, the Council members, then Mizki and her older brother. She wasn't sure, but Yuma looked like he was asleep…she couldn't tell from here.

Suddenly, she realised that all of them were paired up. It wasn't something she noticed earlier while they were all in a big group, but seeing everyone sitting in a row now made her realise that all of them were sticking close to one other person in particular, and in her case…well, she had been paired with Len. Not that Len seemed to particularly care or even notice this unintentional coupling. Her cheeks warmed slightly at this thought and she was glad that the concert hall was dark so that no one could see that she was blushing. How had she not seen it before? At least no one was teasing her about being close to Len…well, people did ask her questions, but no one focused on them for too long.

Another child came in from the side, and she remembered that this was the Clown, there to provide a bit of comic relief. Not that Othello really had much in the way of comedy. This was always meant to be a tragedy, and a frustrating one at that. In her opinion it was more melodramatic than Romeo and Juliet – Othello was like a mature version of that play – but Romeo and Juliet received far more attention due to the themes of young love and passion. Honestly, did no one ever consider the fact that Romeo and Juliet, the two central characters who killed themselves over their impossible love, were little more than children at the time of their suicide? It wouldn't be so romantic if one were to think of it that way. So she didn't like it when people aspired to have a relationship like theirs.

Placing her hands together in her lap, she watched the stage quietly. There was almost a sense of unity in the darkness, just a whole room full of strangers focusing on a play put on by children. She didn't know who else was in the theatre, nor did anyone know who she was. In her seat she was just one of many, and for some reason she felt comfort in that. It was nice to be invisible within a crowd.

* * *

"That was fun," Mizki yawned, stretching as she walked ahead of them out of the theatre. She was wearing a long burgundy dress that cinched in at the waist and swept down to her ankles, leaving the top part of her shoulders bare. Around her neck dangled a single crystal pendant. She appeared to have curled her pink hair so it fell in gentle waves down her back. Miku felt underdressed next to her, but reminded herself that if she had to deal with both a trailing hem and her heels at the same time she would probably fall over before she even took two steps. And then Mikuo would laugh at her.

"Yeah, they're really passionate about the play!" Rin agreed, looking smaller than usual walking next to Mizki. Mizki was tall enough without the heels she must be wearing beneath her dress. She was even taller than Luka now. "I kind of zoned out halfway because I didn't understand what they were saying, but when Othello strangled Desdemona I wanted to jump out of my seat and yell at the stage," Rin shook her head, tutting. "It was weird enough seeing a kid do that, but to think that all this was because of a dumb misunderstanding…it just goes to show how stupid men can be, huh?"

"I take offense at that," Kaito answered, pouting. Rin grinned and reached up to pat her boyfriend on his shoulder, but otherwise didn't respond to Kaito's words. Kaito folded his arms across his chest and shook his head at her. "I really don't think I'd be that dumb…anyway," he changed the subject, "what do you all want to do now? We still have some time before the after-party starts. I know that the club is technically open for us now, but no one goes to a club before eight earliest. Like, really no one," Kaito glanced at his no doubt expensive watch. She was reminded once more of just how rich all her friends were, and Miku didn't know how she felt about that. She wasn't jealous of them, but it would be nice to have a little more money just so that she could stop feeling so insecure about her finances all the time. Miku wasn't poor and her family income was above average, but still…

"Let's just walk around and see if there's anything good to eat!" Rei suggested, suddenly popping up behind them. The dark boy, Piko and Luka had disappeared from their seats shortly before the play was over and later reappeared on stage along with a few other Council members, holding on to bouquets of flowers for the actors. They didn't come back to their seats right after the play but apparently Piko sent Mikuo a text telling him and the rest to just leave without them first. They had only gone down a few steps outside the Victoria Concert Hall when the Council members returned.

"That's nice, but Miku can't walk," Len interjected. Miku frowned and turned towards him, but Len ignored her and continued talking. "She can barely balance in the shoes she's wearing. If we take a stroll around here, we'd probably have to keep slowing down for her," he glanced at her, a sly smile on his face. Rei was frowning now, and she could hear Mikuo snickering nearby. She resisted the urge to give her cousin a nasty glare, instead holding Rei's gaze – though she was kind of glad that Len brought up the issue of her shoes, she was also slightly annoyed that he said it in such a manner. It made her feel like she was a huge burden now…which in a way she _was_ , but he pointed it out so bluntly!

"I can! It's just…well, not that fast," she admitted. The walk from The Cantina to Victoria Concert Hall wasn't too far so it wasn't very obvious that she was having difficulty walking, but that would change if they really decided to go gallivanting down the street. Luka, the last person she expected to laugh at another's misfortune, looked extremely amused. Miku stared down at the black shoes she wore and admitted silently that maybe heels this high hadn't really been necessary. "But if you guys want to walk around then just go ahead and have fun," she added, not wanting to inconvenience them – and anyway, she wasn't really in the mood to walk around. "I'll just find a café and sit there until it's time to go into MinkPink. I kind of want a snack," she looked around, searching for a café.

There were a couple right down the street, much to her relief. She wouldn't have to go far, then. Rei opened his mouth, she guessed to protest against leaving her behind, but he was interrupted again, this time by Mikuo. "If she doesn't want to go then don't force her," her cousin grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes, thankful for Mikuo's assistance nevertheless. She wouldn't have gone with them even if Rei pleaded with her but it was good that someone else was speaking up for her as well. "We can go look for a museum or something cool. Hey, actually Piko and I don't live _that_ far away from here so we can totally show you guys some fun things to do in town. Miku's bad luck that she's missing out. Let's go!" he announced.

Piko and Mikuo exchanged a sly look and set off immediately, not even waiting for the others to come to a consensus. Now the two of them really got along very well, which was kind of surprising given that they weren't even from the same school, but she wasn't going to question that. She recognised the smirk on her cousin's face and was secretly glad that she had opted out of this excursion. Rin and Mizki, the two most adventurous in the group, hurried after the two guys, causing Yuma and Kaito to follow them as well. "Well, there they go," Rei muttered. Then he looked at Len. "Are you coming?"

She wasn't very surprised when Len shook his head. He hardly seemed like the type to go wandering off looking for new places. "I'm a little tired, and I'd like a snack as well. I think I'll accompany Miku and wait for you all to come back. Why don't you join them before they really ditch you?" Len asked, pointing into the distance. The group of six was making remarkable progress down the street and it wouldn't be long before they disappeared from view. Luka set off leisurely at Len's words and, after a moment of hesitation, Rei did so as well. But he gave her a smile before he left and made her promise to call him if anything happened and she needed help. Then she and Len were left alone.

Neither one of them said anything for a while. Then Len cleared his throat and spoke to her. "So what do you want to eat? Don't have too much, the others will probably want dinner soon," he warned. She knew that – she didn't intend to eat _that_ much. But she personally had no idea what she wanted to eat. She only knew she was in the mood for something savoury instead of sweet.

"Uh…let's just take a look at the nearby cafés and see what they have," she suggested. He agreed to the idea and they set off in the opposite direction of the others, chatting idly about the play. She and Len apparently had similar views with regards to Romeo and Juliet, so she started talking about how people kept romanticising suicide and their tragic situation while Len nodded and listened. It was nice to talk to someone else about her view of Shakespeare's works since most people tended to zone out after a while – then again, Len was in a lot of advanced classes so it wasn't surprising that he was interested in academic discussion. He was a lot smarter than what his reputation might imply.

He held on to her arm the whole time they were talking so that she wouldn't fall over, which she was grateful for. Though their going was slow, he didn't complain, and the only time he spoke was to add his own point of view to what she was talking about at the moment. They would look into the windows of the cafés they passed by but most of the time, Miku wasn't very interested in them so they continued to walk. She wanted to sit somewhere with not just nice food but also a great atmosphere, and most of the cafés looked like generic places where youths might congregate. When he began to talk about how the situation in Othello was, in a way, even more tragic than in Romeo and Juliet, they saw a café which made Miku pause. Stepping closer, she peered past the window into the large room inside.

"Is that a piano?" she asked, pointing discreetly. Len took a look too and nodded, surprise on his face at the unexpected decoration. There was a single upright piano at the far end of the room, right next to an old-fashioned gramophone that appeared to be playing music. This café was smaller than some of the others they walked past just now, but the lights inside were warm and soft, making it seem like a very cosy place. She looked up at the signboard. "Arjay's," she read. The name of the shop was carved painstakingly into a swinging wooden board above the door, and little flowers and birds were painted all over the sign. "What do you think?" she asked. Len shrugged, so she decided to go in.

Upon pushing the door open, the scent of warm coffee and sweet, buttery pastries wafted over to her nose. It was a little warmer here than it was outside, and as she looked around and took in the decorations and the overall feel of the place, she decided that she liked Arjay's and she wouldn't mind coming back here in the future. "Makes me feel like getting a coffee now," Len commented as he walked in behind her, the door swinging shut with a faint tinkle. "And I'm not normally a coffee drinker. I prefer tea," he glanced around, looking for a table. Miku stared at him in surprise – she never knew that he preferred tea over coffee. He _looked_ like a coffee drinker…but then again he did order green tea while in The Cantina earlier. It was nice to find out more about Len, either way.

Len found an empty table and led her over to it, never letting go of her arm. His presence attracted a few stares – yeah, she had forgotten just how notorious Len was among people around here – but he ignored all of them, pulling the chair out for her before seating himself. She felt a little uneasy since people were staring at both her and him, but she forced herself to look at the menu instead of at the people around her, trying to decide what to get. Len was staring down at the menu too, a faint frown on his face. She coughed. "What are you going to order?" she asked him quietly.

"I don't know, I'm actually still kind of full from the risotto at lunch. I could eat something, but I'm not starving," Len exhaled. "I'll probably just get an iced latte or something…maybe a cake if any of them interest me at the counter. You?" he closed the menu, his blue gaze meeting hers intently. She chewed on her lip and hid her face behind the menu, trying to focus on the words and the pictures rather than on the feeling of a searing stare burning right through her. Suddenly, she felt extremely awkward around Len. It must have something to do with the fact that everyone was watching him.

It really was a pity that Len was so… _cruel_ to girls. He was well off, smart, musically inclined, clearly keeping himself in shape and handsome to boot. If it weren't for his behaviour he would be the perfect man – but then, everyone had a flaw of some sort, and it appeared that this was Len's weakness. "I guess this cake?" she pointed at random, her finger landing on a picture of salted caramel cake with butterscotch icing. It actually looked pretty good, now that she was looking at it. Len nodded.

"I'll go order then. Do you want to come along...?" his gaze dropped to her shoes and he gave her a wry smile. "No, forget that I asked. Just stay here," he rose from his chair and went over to the counter, all the stares which had been concentrated on her suddenly lifting. She let out a sigh of relief, though she could still see a couple of people sneaking glances at her, maybe wondering who was this new girl accompanying Kagamine Len. She winced at the thought. The last thing she wanted was to be known as Len's latest sex toy. Their relationship was nothing like what others might imagine.

She reached into her purse, taking out her phone. Her phone had two unread messages – one was from her cousin, again warning her about falling for Len's charms, and the other one was from Rin, who said something similar. She sighed and locked her phone, not bothering to reply either one of them. It wasn't that she was upset with them – she knew they cared about her – but she was a little tired of hearing people telling her that she shouldn't hang out with Len just because he was a bad person to get close to. Originally, she didn't want to associate herself with him because she felt he might try to target her, but she trusted that he wouldn't do that anymore since they agreed to be just friends.

Maybe she was being stupid. Maybe it was silly to trust one person over the words of so many others, especially since she had seen for herself the consequences of his behaviour – but there was a chance, there was _always_ a chance, wasn't there? She couldn't believe that he was thoroughly immoral, and there was nothing of his old self left within him. The fact that he could remember some of his past, even if it wasn't very clear, was a sign that not all of him was lost. And he might recall other things too given enough time. It wasn't something she could explain to Rin, not without admitting that she knew Len in the past, and she still didn't want anyone to find out about that. She just had to stay with Len until he remembered who she was, then…maybe he would change. She could only hope, after all.

Len came back to their table shortly after this. There hadn't been a queue at the counter so it didn't take him long to place the order. "I took the liberty of getting some green tea for you," he spoke as he sat back in his chair. She glanced at him, surprised, and he just smiled. "I figured that you'd like it. You were drinking green tea in The Cantina just now, and that time I came over to your house I saw that you had a small box of matcha powder on your desk," he explained. She blinked – the fact that he noticed this at all was surprising. She really did have a box of matcha powder on her study table. She couldn't bear to open it since she bought it in Japan and it was pretty expensive. She wouldn't open the box unless she moved to a place which really didn't have any acceptable green tea. "Was my guess wrong?" he asked when she didn't say anything. She hastily shook her head.

"I'm just surprised that you noticed that about me," she admitted. Len made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sigh and leant back in his chair, watching her. The people in the café had stopped ogling them by now, settling down and getting used to his presence, but she still wasn't feeling great about all this attention. Some of the people who had been watching Len were young women, which wasn't very surprising, but some of the others were guys their age. She couldn't imagine why they would have any interest at all in Len, but then Len himself didn't seem to be bothered so she didn't say anything.

"I'm a lot more observant than you give me credit for," he tilted his head. "Plus you did run off to your toilet just to try the dress on so I had lots of time to kind of look around the room and guess what sort of person you are. Want to hear about my observations?" his blue eyes gleamed. She was quite tempted to say no – there was no need to listen to Len's impressions of her, and for some reason she got the feeling that it might be embarrassing to hear about them too – but her curiosity was too strong and finally, she nodded. Len took a deep breath. "Well…where to begin?" he mused.

Did he really form _that_ many impressions of her while she was changing? She didn't think that she took that long to come back from the toilet. But before Len could start talking about anything, someone suddenly approached their table and both of them looked up – there was one of the few guys who had been watching Len and Miku earlier, when they entered the café. Miku gulped. This guy, who looked like he was in his early twenties at most, was dressed in a striped shirt and denim vest, wearing a pair of skinny jeans. He looked like one of those hippies who explored town with a camera in the hopes of finding the next trendy hangout. He had piercing eyes, a deep purple that reminded her of amethysts, and blond hair that was maybe just a shade darker than Len's.

"You're Kagamine Len, aren't you?" he addressed Len, looking serious. Len tipped his head to one side, his blue eyes cool. The guy had his hands placed in his pockets and he didn't seem to be too threatening, but Miku suddenly wondered if he was related to one of the girls Len toyed with and dumped in the past. Maybe he was out to settle a score with Len? She didn't want to be involved if that was the case!

"So what if I am?" Len asked, his tone faintly challenging. She wanted to disappear from here and promptly tried to fade away into her chair. There were a few tables looking at them again, this time because of the guy. The blond haired stranger didn't react too badly though – he just smirked in response, as though Len had just admitted some great secret to him. Miku didn't know if she liked him or not.

"I thought I recognised you. I'm not here to talk about your sexual exploits or anything – though lots of people share stories about them. I'm not interested in that," he narrowed his violet eyes. Miku couldn't help but feel mesmerised by them – they were such a unique colour; she didn't think she had seen violet eyes on anyone else before. Were they contacts? "My name is Akita Nero," the stranger continued. Miku glanced at Len and saw a spark of recognition pass through his blue eyes.

"Oh…one of the guest judges for the Music Festival this year? The YouTube star," Len said slowly. Miku blinked and looked at Nero again, this time in a new light – if he was internet famous and she didn't recognise him, did that make her really slow? People already complained enough about how she was lagging behind with pop culture. She guessed this really went to show how out of touch she was. "What are you doing here…? Oh, I'm guessing those other guys are part of your band," Len tilted his head towards the table with the other guys who had been looking at them from the very beginning. Miku stared – there were three other guys there, and all of them were looking at her.

She hastily averted her gaze. Nero nodded. "Yeah, that's Ted, Ian and Oliver," he explained. "We saw you and couldn't help but wonder if you're _that_ Len, so…good to know that it's really you. We hang out in Arjay's a lot since the owner is really partial towards musicians, so sometimes we get a free meal if we're willing to perform at night. We're not playing tonight, but the food is good so we're here anyway," he shrugged. "It's good to meet you. I heard a lot about you, Kagamine Len. Nothing bad," he smiled, "at least not in terms of your piano skills. Why don't you play something for us?"

Ted, Ian and Oliver…Miku peeked at the other table where Nero's bandmates were. She couldn't tell who was who, but she concluded that all three guys sitting there were very good-looking. They must be really popular among girls. Not that she would know, since she didn't even know who they were. There was a tall guy with long magenta hair tied up in a ponytail and eyes the colour of dark pink roses. He had very fair skin and looked almost haunted, dressed in all black with torn jeans and laced combat boots. She guessed he was probably the emo punk rocker guy in their band or something.

There was another guy with silvery blond hair, so light that it almost looked white. The hair darkened towards the tips, becoming pale pink. He had fairly effeminate features and dark blue eyes that stood out greatly against his pale hair. He was also staring directly at her and she could practically feel his gaze piercing her very soul, so she hastily looked away from him and went on to the last guy. This one had golden hair that looked like it might be the same shade of blond as Len's, and just like Len he had blue eyes too – but unlike Len one of those eyes was covered by a white eyepatch. He was wearing a black hat and a denim jacket, matched with black slim trousers and a pair of boat shoes. While the other two were definitely _handsome_ , this guy leant more towards the _cute_ side, which made him seem like the most approachable out of all of them, Nero himself included.

"Play something?" Len's words sounded strange. It brought her attention back to him, and she saw that he actually looked a little nervous. She wondered why – he was such an amazing pianist. "Why do you want me to play now, Nero? You'll have a chance to listen to me during the Music Festival," he pointed out. At that moment, one of the café's servers came to them carrying a tray with her cake and green tea, and Len's iced latte. The server set down the tray on their table, then made to move back towards the counter – however, when she noticed that Nero was standing in front of their table, she let out a surprised gasp and immediately asked for an autograph, to which Nero obliged.

The server went happily back to the counter with Nero's autograph scrawled in black marker on a napkin, while Miku just watched it all unfold, feeling amused about the exchange. Nero then turned his attention back to Len. "That's assuming you win the Music Festival this year," Nero reminded him. "I heard that you've been getting first place ever since you started participating three years ago, but you must also know that there's a chance you won't win again this year. So why don't you let me hear something? Just to give me a hint regarding what will come up during the Festival itself?" Nero smiled. It was a surprisingly genuine smile – surprising, since she didn't think that someone famous like Nero would be very genuine. Len had said, after all, that most celebrities he knew were…not very nice.

Len didn't say anything for a while. Instead, he took a sip of his latte while Nero stood there, still waiting for a response. Miku could tell that he was a little uncomfortable about this, which was so strange – Len never really seemed to be uncomfortable about anything. And why was he being so awkward about playing the piano? He loved playing, and he was good too... "All right," he agreed, finally putting the latte down after a while, "I'll play something for you. But in return, you and your band sing us a song too, just to be fair. How about that?" Len asked. Nero laughed and agreed easily.

The two boys went off towards the piano at the other side of the room, the entire café paying attention to what was going on by now. Both Miku and Nero's bandmates were the ones focusing the most on the events which were currently unfolding. Len got to the piano and lifted the cover, taking away the red cloth that protected the ivory keys from exposure, then sat on the chair and remained still for a while, probably thinking about what to play. Nero stood beside him, waiting for him to begin.

The entire café was just waiting for Len to play now. Chatter in the surroundings had died down completely – it was so silent that you could hear a pin drop. Len held his hands out over the piano keys, fingers perfectly arched, his foot resting lightly against the pedal. He seemed to take in a deep breath, and then he began.


	21. Chapter 21

"Beautiful," Nero's declaration was the only thing that could be heard when Len ended the last note, his fingers hovering delicately over the ivory keys. Miku was staring, stunned by the haunting melody the blond boy just played. There was something about the peaceful melody which made one _ache_.

"Thank you," Len inclined his head, placing his hands together on his lap. Nero nodded and gave him a small smile, backing away from the piano as Len rose from the chair, closing the lid once more. Miku had never heard that piece being played before and deduced it was one of Len's compositions. It was such a lovely piece…it reminded her of birdsong, but at the same time the sad music called out to something within her – for a memory, for forgiveness, for something to make it happy again.

Did the music reflect the emotions of its player? She glanced at Len, who was now talking with Nero – she wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but Nero was frowning now, making small gestures with his hands as he spoke. Len was patiently listening, but he looked around every so often at the rest of the café's patrons – it wouldn't be long before people started to approach him, Miku thought. No one had clapped at the end, but everyone seemed too stunned by Len's music anyway.

It would be nice to hear Len playing just for her. She blushed a little at the thought, but it stuck in her head and she couldn't get rid of it – the idea of having him playing a piece composed just for her…she sighed, shaking her head sharply. It would be asking for too much of him, he already had enough on his plate trying to figure out his past and recalling that melody they both knew. She took a sip from the green tea Len ordered for her, watching Nero and Len still discussing…something.

"You know Kagamine Len?" someone slid into the seat beside hers. Miku jumped, surprised by the sudden voice, and turned to see a girl staring at her curiously, tilting her head as she held on to a steaming cup of coffee. She definitely hadn't been sitting here just now. Miku slowly nodded, wondering what the girl wanted from her. She was quite sure that the girl was interested in Len – after all, she did ask about him, and it wasn't surprising since everyone seemed to want him. The girl smiled. "Great! I've been trying to get his number for _ages_ , but every time I see him it's like I can't approach him. My insides turn into jelly," she giggled. Her gaze rested coolly on her. "You two aren't together or anything, right?" she added. "He's never attached, but just to be absolutely certain…"

"We're just friends," Miku said quickly, "we have no relationship other than that. I'm not interested in him that way," she clarified. She definitely didn't want anyone to think she and Len were…well, more than friends. The girl gave her a careful look, setting her cup of coffee down on the table, and glanced across the room at Len. Len was laughing now at something Nero must have said, and Miku had to admit that he was beautiful. Every bit as beautiful as the heart wrenching song he just played.

"Just friends, huh?" the girl seemed to think about this. "I don't know; I find that hard to believe. I mean, you're all dressed up," she continued before Miku could interrupt and explain that she had just gone to see a play. "But whatever. As long as you're not his girlfriend and he's still single and having fun, I don't care," she giggled again. "The really attractive thing about Len is that he's all no strings attached. As long as you don't bother him and try to cling on to him, he promises you a really fun time – at least, according to my friend. I wouldn't know. I've never really run into him before, he's always busy with other women whenever I catch him at parties or whatever," the girl shrugged.

Her chest felt heavy. Miku wasn't quite sure why. The girl spoke so casually of Len's exploits, as if she didn't mind at all the way he was hurting so many people – she always thought that it was a one-sided problem, that Len was the one who never cared about the other person, but judging from this girl's blasé manner, she now wondered if maybe it was mutual. "Aren't you worried about getting your heart broken?" she asked, unable to help herself. The girl gave her a sharp look, frowning.

"That's only a concern if you're in love with him," she pointed out. "I'm not. I only live here because I'm an international student – after I complete my university education I'm flying back home. A long-distance relationship definitely isn't on the cards," she laughed to herself, a tinkling sound. "I just want a good time with someone I _know_ won't mind when I up and go. He's perfect for it, isn't he?" they both watched Len, Miku with trepidation, the unknown girl with a lustful look in her eyes. "So if you have his number, just let me know and I'll ring him up once he's bored with his other girls," she winked jauntily at Miku. Miku swallowed. She didn't want to just go around divulging Len's number.

"You should ask him for it yourself," she pointed out, with an uncharacteristic hardness in her tone. The girl blinked, evidently picking up on Miku's harshness, and she hesitated, attempting to come up with some excuse. "I mean, if you're interested in him you should tell him personally! He's going to come back anyway and since we're not at a party or something now, he won't be busy. You can just ask him later and not worry that he's…distracted with someone else, or whatever," she said hastily.

The girl pondered over her words. "True. Since you said you two aren't a thing," the girl shrugged her delicate shoulders, "then I guess he won't mind me chatting him up. God, I'm nervous though," she took a sip of coffee. "First time I'm approaching a guy and not the other way round. And he's actually a total stud, not one of those complete losers who always ask me out. What a first!" she shook her head, laughing to herself. "Well, thanks for your advice. You'll see me again later," she winked at Miku again before rising from the chair and heading off, back towards her own table.

Miku wanted to slap herself. Why did she just encourage that girl to approach Len? Len was not supposed to be toying around with any girls at the moment! But the girl was tall, blonde and shapely, with stunning blue eyes and fair porcelain skin. She was self-assured and obviously had no qualms about talking to new people – in fact, Miku found it surprising that she was even nervous about chatting Len up. When the girl spoke to her about wanting to talk – and obviously more – with Len, Miku's thoughts went completely blank and she just blurted out whatever came to mind.

At that very moment, Len returned to the table, turning to wave at Nero as the other blond boy returned to his bandmates. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Len pulled out his chair and sat back down, picking up his iced latte. There was a small smile on his face. "I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long. But what did you think of my playing?" he asked, suddenly looking worried – which was really silly, there was no need for Len to be concerned about his performance. He was such a good pianist.

"Fantastic as always," she assured him, and he relaxed a little, those blue eyes meeting hers. "What were you and Nero talking about?" she asked, curious. Len raised an eyebrow, drinking half of his latte in one go before putting the drink back on the table. He turned his head a little, glancing at where Nero was seated.

"Nothing much," he answered vaguely. "He just asked whether I'd be interested in doing some backup for his next album. I told him I'd consider," he looked back at her. "How about you? I saw you talking to some girl just now. You looked a little upset. Did she say something to offend you?" he asked, sounding concerned. Miku blinked. She hadn't realised that Len was actually paying any attention to her.

"Oh, no. She didn't say anything to offend me," she raised her hands, shaking her head. "Well…she might come and talk to you later, that's all," she admitted. Len made a face, reaching out for a paper napkin and dabbing his mouth. Miku picked up her fork and dug listlessly into her cake, still thinking about that strange girl and what she wanted from her. Her chest was still feeling heavy, like there was some kind of oppressive weight on her shoulders. She couldn't explain why she felt this way.

"Talk to me, huh?" Len muttered. "I can guess what she wants to talk about. I think I've seen her around before. She's one of the hard-core partygoers around here, pops up at everything I go to," he stole some of her cake, but Miku didn't complain. "Too bad that I'm committed to not sleeping around, huh?" he added, giving her a strange look. She couldn't quite place the expression on his face, but she just shrugged in response – what did he expect her to say? Len sighed. "I hope you are aware of how much I'm sacrificing just to maintain this friendship with you," he muttered.

"No one said you had to _sacrifice_ anything. We could simply not be friends," she retorted sharply. A look of shock crossed his face and she swallowed – she hadn't meant to say something so harsh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," she backpedalled. "I'm just…I'm just really tired because of how much time we spent outside today," she shook her head. "I'm glad we're friends!" she forced a smile onto her face, though smiling was the very last thing she wanted to do right now. Len was looking quizzically at her.

"You don't seem very well, Miku," he finally spoke, peering closely at her. He reached out a hand and pressed his fingers against her forehead, checking for a fever – she ducked her head at the brief contact, and the spot where his fingers brushed her skin seemed to burn. She wanted to protest and say that she was perfectly fine, but she found his fingers suddenly tilting her chin up so that he could stare into her eyes. "I don't think you should go for the party tonight. Just head home and rest," he sounded worried now. "Your forehead feels a little warm. And these dark circles…"

Now he was just pointing out her flaws. She jerked her chin away from his grip. "I'm fine," she insisted. "We're already here, we've stayed around for so long – I might as well just go to MinkPink too. Not like my parents are going to be home now even if I returned at this time, either," she knew she sounded defensive and tried very hard to calm herself down. But why was she behaving this way in the first place? Was it just because of that girl? She was the kind of girl who made Miku feel very insecure about herself, that was true…but surely she couldn't be jealous of that girl now, could she?

She was no more than a passing stranger in her life, after all. "No, I know you're not interested in the party and forcing yourself to stay will just tire you out. Trust me on this," there was an emptiness in Len's gaze that made it seem like he was speaking from personal experience. "There's nothing worse than participating in something when you don't even want to be there. Come on, let's go back. I'll drive you home and explain to the others why you couldn't make it. Gives me an excuse not to attend as well," he flashed her a crooked grin. Miku stared at him. Didn't he actually _want_ to go to MinkPink?

"But you…" she didn't know how to say it. Len finished off the rest of his latte and most of her cake while she struggled to put her thoughts into words, despite him saying that he wasn't really hungry yet. He could eat an awful lot for someone who was supposedly still full from lunch. Len gave her a charming smile and watched her while she sipped at her green tea, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Come on, let's go," he rose from his chair once she was done with her drink, looking out of the café. She frowned, about to protest against leaving – though she really did want to skip the party if she could – but just then her phone buzzed and she looked down, wondering who had messaged her. It was from her mother. She read the text, which told her that their transit plane was delayed and they were now expected to arrive home early tomorrow morning instead of tonight. Her mother also told her not to stay out too late partying. Of course, the text just made her even more reluctant to go to MinkPink. "What was that?" Len asked, noticing the way her face fell. She put her phone away.

"Nothing. My parents got their flight delayed, that's all," she shrugged. "Happens a lot, I guess. But now I don't know what I want to do – either I hang around for the party or I go back to an empty house. Both options don't seem too appealing," she admitted. The blond boy looked thoughtful.

"You can come hang out at my place if you want. I don't mind keeping you company," he shrugged. "But I'll have to rush out my homework because I was procrastinating all week, so I hope that you won't mind me being rather quiet for the first hour or so," he added. Miku briefly considered this option and decided that it was the best out of the three choices she had, so in the end she agreed. Len smiled. "Let's get going then. You don't have to worry about Rin or Rei, I'll let them know."

She decided to stop pretending that she wanted to hang around too. "Thanks, Len," she whispered, feeling almost guilty about ditching the others – but it really wasn't as though she had wanted to go in the first place anyway. Len nodded at her, holding out a hand to help her up from her seat. After a moment's hesitation, she took hold of his hand – his grip was firm and steady. She caught the other girls in the café giving her surreptitious looks, including the one who came to speak to her just now.

Suddenly, she got really annoyed. Why did people keep breathing down her neck whenever she was with Len? Why did they have to attract so much attention wherever they went? She just wanted a normal friendship with the guy. She didn't want people to keep telling her she couldn't do this, or she couldn't do that, or have to keep a constant watch for Len's potential stalkers. She didn't mind being friends with him really, despite what she blurted out just now – but it could be such a pain!

She grabbed his elbow tightly, her fingers digging into his skin. Len glanced curiously at her but didn't say anything, leading her outside. The international student did not come over to speak to him as they left.

* * *

"She's a little upset that you ditched them without warning, but she understands that you weren't that keen on going in the first place," Len put his phone down, adjusting his glasses. Miku wondered whether he actually needed them or not since he didn't seem to wear them most of the time.

"Well, I didn't intend to leave until just now either," she sighed, lacing her fingers together on her lap. Len was sitting on an armchair and she was on the long couch, now dressed in a simple white blouse and a pair of shorts. Before she went to Len's place she dropped by her own house first to get some work of her own as well as to put on more comfortable clothes. Len had quickly changed out of his clothes as well, and was now wearing a faded old shirt and a pair of fitted trousers. He had taken his hair out of his ponytail, so now the blond locks hung loosely around his face, slightly dishevelled.

His hair was really longer than Rin's. She idly wondered why he kept it at such a length – she never found out why when they were younger, and now she still didn't know. But Len looked so focused on his work that it didn't seem like a good time to ask. "Don't worry about Rin, she's surprisingly easy-going about being dumped at the last moment," he answered distractedly. "We've both had experience with that since our mother tends to be very fickle minded about her plans. I'd be more concerned about Mizki if I were you," his fingers flew over his keyboard, like how they did over piano keys.

Miku glanced up from her own notes. She was still trying to study for the quiz tomorrow. She really wanted to ace it, every quiz counted towards her grade after all. She wasn't naturally super smart or anything, so she had to make up for it with diligence and hard work. "Mizki…yeah, I know," she sighed. She wasn't looking forward to Mizki's reaction when she found out that Miku wasn't going to MinkPink after all. And Rei as well – she was sure that he would be disappointed about her backing out. But spending time with Len in a quiet house seemed much more appealing than going to a rowdy nightclub.

Len didn't answer that, instead pushing his spectacles up the bridge of his nose and turning towards some of his reference books. It was a class she didn't take, so she wasn't interested in whatever he was researching, but the red spectacles reminded her of the only other time she ever saw him wearing them – when they were in the library, talking about his secret song. He had been reading his diary then – had he finally managed to decipher his own handwriting yet? She would ask him about that later, when he was done with his work. Ducking her head, she focused on her notes, memorising all the important facts she would have to know for the quiz. She really hated studying, but she had to…

She wanted to succeed in life, get good grades, find a great job and put all her past rebelliousness behind her. There was nothing she could gain out of going down that path once more. She had taken enough risks in her youth, and as a result she just wanted a stable life now. Sometimes she almost envied Len. The grades she had to work hard for came so easily to him. He had always been smart – she was aware of that, even in the past he never seemed to spend time studying but he got an A for practically every subject he took. But back then this hadn't been a cause for envy. Now things were different.

"Do you actually need your spectacles?" she asked after some time had passed and she was tired of rereading her notes. Len glanced up at that question, his fingers pausing for a moment, before his lips tilted upwards and he nodded, gaze going back to his laptop screen. She frowned. "I don't see you wearing them though?" she asked, curling up in her seat. Len looked up again, this time putting his laptop on the coffee table – she felt a little bad for distracting him from his work, but at the same time she was glad to be able to chat for a while. Miku was not a very focused person.

"My degree isn't terribly high," Len answered, leaning forward to pick up his glass of water. He took a sip as he spoke. The ice in the glass had already melted. "I don't need glasses during my day-to-day life, and actually I can do work even without them, but I'd rather have them on," he shrugged. "So that I won't have to struggle to read small text. I don't think spectacles suit me, actually," his lips curved upwards again, "but my degree isn't so high that I'd go and invest in contacts. So I just put them on when I'm doing work, that's all. Is that surprising? You seem shocked," he observed.

Miku blinked, shaking her head sharply. "No, it's not," she fidgeted, scratching the back of her neck. "I was just wondering since I don't see you wearing them most of the time. I think they look nice on you though," she said truthfully. Contrary to what he said, the red framed glasses stood out against his pale skin and his sharp blue eyes, creating a very striking image. Len laughed and leant back in the armchair, still holding on to his glass of water. She felt really comfortable – for some reason it just seemed much more natural to be here, talking to Len, than to be part of a large group of people all waiting to attend a party she didn't really want to go to. "What are you working on?"

Len looked at his laptop, something almost like distaste flitting across his face. "Nothing much, just a report for one of my other classes. It's pretty stupid actually, I don't think this paper deserves thirty percent of my overall grade, but oh well," he shrugged. "It's easier to get it over and done with, it's due on Tuesday anyway and I'm going to be finished with it soon. Are you bored?" he asked, tilting his head. Although she _was_ bored, and terribly so at that, she said no. It wouldn't be nice to bother him any further since he did warn her earlier that he had to complete his work. Len smiled and went back to his laptop, and she looked listlessly through her notes, glancing at the clock once every few minutes.

Perhaps he could sense her restlessness because after a while, Len looked up at her again, catching her attention. "Do you want to play the piano?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She was in the middle of turning a page and she looked up at the sound of his voice, her hand stilling. "You seem like you need a break, and I know it's really boring to just sit around and watch me finish my research report. I'll be done real soon, but if you want you can go up and play. Just remember to close the lid when you're done," he added absentmindedly, his gaze drifting back to his books. Miku jumped up at the opportunity, setting her papers aside – anything was better than rereading her notes for the fourth time.

She climbed up the stairs to where the piano room was, opening and closing the door as gently as she could. For some reason it seemed almost sacrilegious to make too much noise here – any sound that was not produced by the grand piano itself. She felt along the wall, flipping the switch, and bright light suddenly flooded the room, illuminating the beautiful piano. It gleamed beneath the lights, beckoning to her. She approached it, her gaze dipping over every curve and smooth line, her heart in her throat. She was reminded of Len – his playing, his focus, how his fingers could produce something so lovely that it seemed like a sin to interrupt him halfway. Would she ever reach that level?

Shaking herself out of her trance, she crossed over to his cabinet full of scores, randomly choosing one of the music books. She realised that she had chosen a volume full of modern music, mostly inspired by the sounds of nature. It seemed an interesting choice, the pieces all created by a famous Japanese composer. She knew some of these songs and could recognise their influence on Len's work. But she wasn't in the mood to play this…she put the book back, letting her fingers run across the many files and books placed neatly in the cabinet. Then her fingers found the edge of a thin folder, bright red in colour, and she pulled it out, curious about what was inside. It appeared to be some of Len's compositions.

The pages were slightly yellowed, so she supposed the works here were all rather old. Her gaze went over the different songs – there were only four songs here, all of them relatively short, only two or three pages each. She looked at the title of the first one – _First Snow_ , the title read, and the opening of the piece did remind her of falling snowflakes. Each chord was carefully chosen, and even when the bar contained only a single note, it was clearly meant to do more than just fill in the silence – Len had directions for even his staccato notes, commanding the player to somehow join all the notes together into one smooth slur. She wondered when he had composed this – it seemed to be a little different from his current work, with less of the refined elegance his pieces now possessed, but there was still a certain rawness to the music, a sign of deep passion and hours of composing, and playing, and thinking, and reworking, over and over again to create this final, finished product.

Maybe she would give _First Snow_ a try. It didn't look too difficult. Going to the piano, she raised the heavy lid as gently as she could and pulled away the red velvet cloth which covered the ivory keys, tucking her chair in and checking her posture before she placed her hands over the piano. The score rested on the stand before her, calling out to her. She took in a deep breath and, checking through the notes one more time, she slowly began to play. It was nerve-wracking to be playing one of Len's compositions at first, she was so scared that she would mar the piece somehow, but the more she played the more she realised how… _simple_ it was. Len had not created the melody with the intention of confusing the player. He didn't set out to make it difficult. No, the notes flowed naturally, as though every single mark on the score was meant to be there, like it was simply the order of things.

For once, she made no mistake. The notes were easy to follow, the directions simple and clear. She dared to speed up a little, going closer to the specified tempo, and found herself enjoying the piece, the quick notes like fresh snow and children's laughter. A smile spread over her face – the song was the whiteness of snow on a crisp winter's day, before it was dirtied by footsteps and cleared away by shovels. It was fresh, pure virgin snow – it was the joy of a child and the gentle beauty of a snowflake. There were some notes that seemed to clash oddly with the rest of the piece at times, but it wasn't so bad that it distracted from the overall melody. In fact, the jarring notes gave the piece its own quaint charm.

"Miku?" she heard Len's voice, and abruptly she stopped playing, whipping around to face the door. Len stood there, no longer wearing his spectacles, a faint look of surprise on his face. "Is that one of my songs?" when she nodded sheepishly, he entered the room, looking at the score she had placed on the piano stand. " _First Snow_ …oh, I remember this one. I composed this around four years ago, if I remember correctly," he laughed. "It took a long time before I came up with anything I deemed satisfactory. Of course now, I can do better, but this was the first piece I actually liked," he picked it up fondly, looking through the pages. Miku watched him as he read through the sheets of music.

He looked most genuine when he had music. It made her feel almost wistful – there was a time in the past where she could have seen that boyish smile whenever she wanted, but it was hard to see him smiling the same way nowadays. "It's really good, especially if you composed it when you were only fourteen," she offered. "I don't think I would have the patience to come up with something so lovely at that age…" no, most certainly not. Miku had been anything but patient when she was fourteen. In fact, at that point she couldn't really remember what she was doing, but it definitely wasn't music. Her interest in singing and the piano usually waxed and waned with the years.

"Anyone could do this as long as they're patient enough," Len laughed again, shaking his head and putting the score back on the stand. "I don't think composition is really all about talent. Of course that's very important, but all the genius in the world won't matter if you don't have any motivation, don't you think? If I didn't have the motivation to write everything down on paper and continuously refine it until I got something I wanted, you wouldn't be seeing that music sheet now," he pointed out. He perched on the edge of the piano seat as he spoke, and she shifted aside to make space for him.

Suddenly, the room felt extremely small. The piano room definitely wasn't a small room, but with Len sitting so close to her, she felt like she couldn't breathe, like the four walls were trying to suffocate her. Her chest felt tight. Probably with nerves – she knew she was good, but some part of her couldn't stop comparing herself to Len. Then again, how could she expect to be _as_ good as him? He had put in far more hours into practicing than she did. The most she could do now was just to try and catch up with him. "We can try a duet," Len suggested. "I'm done with my report, so we can play together if you want. I have a book full of duets I'd like to play, but I never managed to find a suitable partner."

"I'm not that good at duets," she admitted. She never really practiced them, since she was always on the move and didn't form any true or lasting friendships with anyone. Besides, it was hard to play with another person when she only had a keyboard. Len just grinned and got up, heading over to the cabinet – he retrieved another book and returned to the seat, flipping the pages and pushing his folder aside. She glanced at the song and blinked in surprise – it was a simple, two-player arrangement of "Tale as Old as Time", the Disney song. "You actually have a book full of Disney songs?" she asked, incredulous.

"Why not? Are you judging me now?" Len retorted, eyes gleaming with good humour. She didn't know what to say – it just seemed so _unlike_ him. He let her look through the piece. "Now, the hard thing about duets _isn't_ the playing," Len cautioned. "Usually that's pretty easy. What's hard is matching the tempo of the other person. Neither one of us can ever lose the tempo otherwise the entire melody gets torn apart. We can start slow though, so that you'll get used to my playing. It'll be good practice," he added when she gave him a nervous look. "In case you forgot, we _have_ to submit a duet for the Music Festival and if we win, we'd have to play it. So we should start practicing now."

"Using Disney songs?" she muttered, flipping the page. The song had a total of three pages, and every bar looked so easy that probably even a child could play it. If Len didn't look so serious about this matter, she would have felt rather insulted. "Well…if you say so," she shrugged, lifting her hands and resting them against the piano keys. Len nodded and did the same – he was taking the higher treble, while she took the bass. So he started, and Mku watched carefully, waiting for her time to begin.

Sight-reading was easy, but Miku quickly realised that what Len said was terribly true – that the hardest part was _not_ playing her part by itself, but instead matching her tempo to his. The first few bars she played a beat faster, and it took a bit of struggling before she could slow down enough to match him, and the song actually started to sound like it was supposed to. Len didn't break his concentration at all, not even for a single moment – she could practically feel him thinking beside her, and all of a sudden she felt extremely aware of their close proximity to each other. During a particularly long pause for her part, she snuck a glance at him and saw him watching the music score so intently that she wouldn't be surprised if he burnt a hole through the paper. Noticing that he was nearing the end of his part, she reached out to help him flip the page just as he raised his hand to do the same thing.

Their hands brushed, and abruptly Len's other hand stopped, the sudden silence in the room almost deafening after all the music she had just heard here. She snatched her hand away, as though she had been burnt, and Len slowly placed his hands back on his lap as well. Neither one of them said anything to each other for a while, though her heart was thudding in her chest. The atmosphere was suddenly extremely awkward. She hated this feeling – maybe she should have gone to the party, after all. At least there would be other people then. Just being alone with Len was, well…weird.

"You didn't look really happy after that girl left our table at the café, this afternoon," Len spoke first, his voice very soft. She could feel him staring at her. "Is there a reason why? Did she say something to you? I know you said that she didn't, but…well, you should have seen the look on your face back then," he sounded almost guilty, like he was admitting to doing something he shouldn't have done.

"She didn't," Miku stubbornly insisted. It was true that she didn't say anything out of the ordinary. She hadn't insulted her or talked down to her or anything. In fact, if Miku had to be truthful, the girl seemed very friendly. She reminded her of Mizki or Rin, one of those popular girls everyone liked. She was everything that Miku knew she wasn't. Though in the past she could pretend to be popular, and there was a point in her life where she had more friends than she could keep up with, it wasn't something that came to her naturally. None of it was genuine. Miku was not really as friendly as she pretended to be. She hated keeping up appearances – she wasn't naturally amiable, and she was aware of that.

"Honestly?" Len's blue eyes were intense. He was too close to her, _way_ too close – her mind blanked out and for a moment she couldn't think. Their faces were so close that if he leant in even just a tiny bit…her face warmed and she ducked her head so that Len wouldn't see her blush. The _last_ thing she wanted was to be attracted to him! "Miku, I know you're not telling me the whole truth. You're a pretty bad liar," he sounded amused now – she could hear the playfulness in his words, but there was still that subtle undercurrent of curiosity. He was probing, waiting for her to admit something. But she wouldn't.

"Nothing, it's nothing!" she blurted out, rising from the chair. Len stared up at her in surprise as she backed away from him, trying to recover some semblance of dignity. If she stayed here any longer it would just prove how flustered she was – despite not having any clear reason to be flustered. "I ought to go back now, you probably still have work to do and I don't want to disturb you," she babbled. "And I still have stuff that I need to do at home! Yeah! Um, thanks for keeping me company, Len," she waved a little and turned, thankful to get away from here before she did something embarrassing.

But she felt a hand catch her arm and pull her back, turning her around. Len was watching her now, his eyes narrowed. She gulped. His blue eyes were so clear, so penetrating. "You weren't disturbing me," he frowned. "If you're sick, you really need to get yourself checked. Now isn't a good time to become ill," he cautioned. She nodded, sure that her face was flushed – she didn't think he would assume she was sick if it wasn't. "Good night then, I'll see you around in school tomorrow," he murmured, his hand tightening a little around her arm before he suddenly let go. She said good night as well, hoping that there wouldn't be any more interruptions as she tried to get back to her house.

Dashing out of the room, she raced down the stairs and packed her things as quickly as she could, leaving through the front door the very moment she collected everything she brought over. She practically ran all the way back to her empty, silent house, her heart racing from the exertion. She didn't want to be attracted to him – she _swore_ she wouldn't have anything to do with him, not after finding out what he was like now. But if he really changed his ways for her…would she change her mind?


	22. Chapter 22

Of course Len knew that she wasn't having a fever. But he found it kind of fun to tease her like that. It brought him to a surprising conclusion – that rather than getting all flustered when he was being seductive or flirtatious, Miku seemed to be more affected by displays of kindness and concern.

It was something for him to take note of. He thought that he might have found a way to get under her skin now. He wasn't sure what he could do with this bit of information – he didn't want to be so nice to her that she ended up friend-zoning him – but he might be able to get to his goals if he was simply nice to her instead of attempting to flirt with her. Not that he really did the latter, anyway. There was something about Miku which made her very difficult to talk to in such a manner.

Perhaps it was her skittish nature. He knew how averse she was towards any kind of deviant behaviour. He had seen it in the way she looked at that girl who spoke to her at the café, and the clear reluctance that shone in her green eyes whenever the topic of MinkPink was brought up. He knew that the moment he began talking to her in a way that was anything but platonic, she would instantly withdraw and he would be left with nothing to show for his efforts. He'd have to take it slow with Miku, and for some reason he found the thought to be…strangely enjoyable. It was new.

Other girls didn't seem to care. Either they wanted him or they didn't, and those that wanted him rarely needed much persuasion to sleep with him. In fact, most of the time girls approached him rather than the other way round. Though they hardly ever explicitly came out and said they wanted sex, he could tell. No one really approached him for any other reason, if he had to be really honest. He wasn't sure if he minded that or not. There wasn't really any need for him to have female friends.

Well, besides Miku. She was his first… _sort_ of real friend who wasn't a guy. But he didn't want things to just stay that way between them – their situation would change no matter what he had to resort to. She was the first girl who actually wanted to change him…though there were people who had explicitly told him that he was a terrible human being, Mizki being a prime example, no one actually came to him with the intentions of turning him into a better person. He was seen as a lost cause. Maybe it was just Miku's naivety, being the new girl, which let her dare to try and change him?

He gently lowered the piano lid, rising from the chair and switching off the room lights. Miku had left in a real hurry – her face was red, which Len thought was rather cute. She was so obviously flustered by what took place before she left, but the only thing of interest that happened was that their hands touched…was that really all it took to make her nervous? She must not have very much experience with the opposite sex. Len went down the stairs, still thinking about her bright green eyes, wide with nervousness, and the pink tint of her normally fair skin. It was the first time he saw her like that.

She had been upset in the café too. That didn't miss his attention. Though she tried to downplay it, what that girl was talking to her about had clearly affected her. Miku said that the girl was interested in him, right? So Len had a pretty good guess for what they were discussing before he returned to the table, and if Miku really was upset because of that…was she jealous? He couldn't think of any other reason why she would be unhappy over such a matter. If she just didn't like the fact that there were girls willingly throwing themselves at him – which was possible, given her conservative way of looking at relationships – then surely it would not have led to such a big reaction. She most likely would have been annoyed maybe, and she might complain about it for a while, but being upset…

He didn't like seeing her sad. It was something he realised when he saw the expression on her face. Maybe he really was starting to care for her as a friend. He couldn't be sure, but when he saw her with that listless frown on her face, he felt a sudden urge to just tell her that everything would be fine. Instead, he ended the conversation with Nero and returned to the table, just as the girl Miku was talking to got up and went back to her own. Len was glad that she left before he returned. If she stayed around to chat with him and Miku continued looking upset, he probably would have asked her to leave. Miku, for now, mattered more to him than some new girl trying to get into his pants.

Oh well. Now he didn't have anything to do since he opted out of going to the club with the others and Miku had basically abandoned him, so he had to find some new source of entertainment. With sex clearly being out of the question, that left him with…well, with little else actually. He scratched his head. What could he do? It had been a long time since he last had to search for something to occupy his attention, since he was usually so busy with women that he had little time for other things. Now he was free for once, and this feeling was extremely strange. For a moment, Len felt almost helpless.

He could go back to composing music and fiddling around with either his personal piece, or the song they were working on for the Music Festival. He had decided that it would be nice to wrap it up with a final movement, but he couldn't start working on it without Miku around to voice her approval. It was her song, after all. And she had left in a remarkable hurry. He thought back to the piano room, remembered the blush on Miku's face right before she left, and decided that maybe now wasn't a good time to go back there. He would probably just get distracted by memories of the flustered girl.

Then suddenly he recalled his diary, which he still hadn't made much progress with since that time Miku caught him with it in the library. After that he got sick, and then he became so involved with the teal haired girl and their deal that he entirely forgot about deciphering his old handwriting. Now was a good time to continue since he had finally recovered and he was done with his work. Nodding to himself, he went back up the stairs towards his room, where he kept his diary in a drawer.

Pulling the old book out, he flipped a few pages and winced as the terrible spiky cursive glared out at him, almost mockingly. Young Len seemed intent on making his handwriting as atrocious as possible, likely to prevent Rin from attempting to read it. Annoyed by his younger self, he shook his head and sat at his desk, taking his spectacles out from his pocket. Rin would not be back from MinkPink anytime soon and he wasn't sure when his parents were returning home either, so he was alone for now. The silence was good for his concentration, and hopefully he'd manage to struggle through some of the old entries.

* * *

Mizki was quickly appeased by a few apologies and by Miku claiming that she suddenly felt unwell yesterday afternoon. The pink haired girl simply sulked for a few minutes, but then went back to behaving like nothing had happened between them. Miku was actually a lot more nervous about facing Rei than Mizki.

Thankfully she didn't run into Rei the entire day. He wasn't in school today, which made her wonder what happened to him, but she was also secretly grateful that she didn't have to face him after ditching them yesterday. Hopefully he wouldn't really mind – she didn't think he would, after all Rei had always been rather easy-going – but she would probably continue to feel guilty until the dark boy actually told her that everything was forgiven. He had really wanted her to go, after all, and she did say she would…just that skipping the party with Len had seemed like a much more appealing option.

She saw Len on campus after her classes were over, and she had to hide at the sight of the boy, her face warming when she saw him looking around, slightly confused. She knew he had spotted her, but she ran away before he could approach and she was now safely watching him from a distance, concealing herself behind a wall. It wasn't like anything had really happened between her and Len but she still felt a little awkward about her own overreaction to him yesterday, and she'd rather keep herself at some distance away from him until she felt better about the situation. What was wrong with her?

"Hey, Hatsune," a familiar voice rang out behind her and she jumped, spinning around to see Piko standing there, giving her a quizzical look. The bruising around his eye had faded almost completely by now, with just the slightest tinge of yellow indicating any sign of injury. Otherwise, he looked perfectly fine. "You're behaving really suspiciously, you know. Did something happen?" he glanced past her, trying to see what she was looking at. She hastily stepped in front of him, blocking his view.

"Nothing, nothing!" she answered quickly, forcing a smile onto her face. She suddenly recalled that Piko was one of Len's good friends and decided that she had to speak as carefully as possible. "I was just looking for someone, but they don't seem to be around so I guess I'll be making a move now…"

"For Len?" Piko guessed. She shook her head, trying to seem as relaxed as possible so that she wouldn't trigger any suspicions. Piko raised an eyebrow. "You two have been spending quite a bit of time together recently. I think you see Len more often than I do," he shook his head. "Don't tell me he's really targeting you…I thought he was joking," Piko muttered, more to himself than to her.

Miku blinked. "Targeting? Me?" she asked, unsure if she really heard what she thought she did. Piko glanced up at her and made a face, shrugging. The badge of the Student Council gleamed on his collar. Miku briefly wondered if all the Student Council members had to wear collared shirts just so they could pin the badge on their clothes. Come to think of it, she had never seen Luka or Rei wearing tops that didn't have collars, but she always assumed it was due to their own personal sense of style. Piko, on the other hand, didn't seem like he would wear collared shirts unless he had no other choice…

"I won't beat around the bush," he said bluntly. "Len sleeps around a _lot_. So he may or may not have his eye on you. He did mention that he was interested in you, but…well, I don't know. You two seem more like friends than anything else to me, so maybe his intentions changed?" Piko shrugged again. "I hope so, for your own sake. You're Mikuo's cousin and I know he'd be pissed as hell if you got into trouble. And when Mikuo gets pissed I have to listen to him raging for hours, so I hope Len isn't planning anything nasty," the silver haired boy suddenly grinned. "Or you could take my words with a pinch of salt."

Miku had no idea what to make of Utatane Piko. Was everything he just said true, or was he just messing around with her? It could be either, honestly. He hung out with her cousin, and Mikuo was pretty notorious for enjoying a good laugh, even at other people's expense. It made sense that Piko would be similar to him. "I'll keep that in mind," she answered carefully, nevertheless glad she had distracted him from what she was doing earlier. It would have been even more awkward if he saw Len in the distance and somehow managed to put two and two together. As if her current inner turmoil wasn't confusing enough – she didn't need Piko assuming that she had any feelings for Len as well.

"Or you could forget about it," Piko suggested, that wide grin still on his face. "Anyway, since you're here – have you seen Rei? I need to submit a report to him for the play, but I can't seem to find him anywhere, and if I don't submit it by today Luka will probably kill me," he shuddered. Miku winced at the sound of Rei's name, but thankfully Piko didn't seem to notice her reaction.

"No, I haven't seen him at all," she answered honestly. It was actually pretty strange since Rei hardly seemed like the kind to skip school, but then again there was a first time for everything…and if his party last night was as wild and alcohol-filled as what other people claimed his previous parties to be, then she didn't think he was fit to come to school either. Piko frowned at that, gazing up towards the ceiling.

"That's really weird," he echoed her thoughts. "Rei isn't the kind to skip school, not even after one of his parties. He's not picking up any calls or answering my messages either…" suddenly he looked back down at her, his eyes narrowing. "Oh yeah, I just remembered. You didn't go to MinkPink last night, right? Rei was actually pretty disappointed that you didn't show up, I think. He didn't get involved in the party the way he usually does – in fact, he just spent the whole night downing cocktails. Maybe he's avoiding you now?" Piko tilted his head, as though contemplating this possibility. Miku frowned at that.

"I don't think so, Rei doesn't seem the kind to be so…well, petty?" she didn't know how else to describe this behaviour. Piko smirked at that, but didn't say anything more about Rei. Instead, he jovially bade her farewell and walked away, probably heading off to continue searching for the dark boy. Miku stared at his back for a moment, then sighed and looked away from him, glancing back to where Len was. Len was still sitting in the cafeteria, and he was now talking to two girls she didn't recognise. She watched the three of them chatting, wondering what they were discussing.

One of the girls threw her head back and laughed at some joke Len must have said, the other girl hiding her mouth behind her hand and giggling along. Len shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face and suddenly Miku felt a little bit uneasy. She wasn't quite sure why, but as she watched them she just felt like Len really shouldn't be talking to those girls. It would be nice if he had more female friends besides her, but these two girls were obviously interested in him and she didn't think they would provide the kind of _friendship_ Len needed. But she didn't exactly have the right to butt in. She was only a friend, and she had no authority to decide who Len could talk to.

Miku turned away from the scene, heart hammering. She placed a hand over her chest and for a second, she wondered why her heart was beating so quickly. But then the second passed and she decided that maybe she ought to look for Rin and Mizki. She felt a little bad for ditching them last night so she wanted to suggest hanging out today at a café – maybe the one she and Len went to yesterday, Arjay's. She rarely ever asked them out of her own accord, usually waiting for them to extend an invitation to her, so it would be a nice change. She tried to recall where they might be.

Monday…Rin had Advanced Art classes in the afternoon, but she ought to be done in another half an hour or so. And Mizki would probably be in the Sports and Recreation Centre, playing tennis or some other game. She was really sporty, which was quite the opposite of Rin, and Mizki would sometimes exercise with Miku if she was in the mood for a chat while she worked out. Finally, Luka was still busy with the aftermath of the play, so Miku didn't want to bother her. She decided that she ought to find Mizki first, since she didn't want to disturb Rin while she was still having classes. Miku was sure that Mizki didn't have any lessons at this timing, nor did she have any more later in the afternoon.

The recreation centre was on the other side of the campus, so she turned away from the cafeteria, trudging towards the unassuming building which opened up to a basketball court, a tennis court and a small gym. She made sure to take the long way around the main building so that, even if Len happened to look out of the window, he wouldn't spot her walking past. For reasons even she could not explain to herself, she really didn't want to talk to him or have him notice her. It was nothing to do with those two girls, and she certainly wasn't jealous – but she really wanted to be alone for now.

* * *

Len thought he could feel someone watching him. Perhaps it was just an overly sensitive intuition, but he swore he could sense an intense gaze boring into him from afar. He glanced away from Haku and Neru, searching for the owner of that piercing stare, but he couldn't see anyone of interest.

"So, Len, why haven't you been picking up calls lately?" Neru purred, leaning slightly closer to him. Akita Neru had never made a move on him – in fact, he was pretty sure she was one of the rare few who wasn't actually _interested_ in him, since she and Nakajima Gumo apparently had a…very complicated relationship. So he was pretty curious about why she was chatting him up today. Her best friend, Yowane Haku, hovered nearby, listening to the two of them, but she rarely spoke.

"Oh, no reason really," he shrugged. "Just decided to take a break for a while. Gets tiring, you know?" he leant back in his seat, eyeing his unfinished lunch. The cold pasta salad he was eating suddenly reminded him of the _pho_ he had with Miku, not too long ago. He frowned a little, shaking his head. That girl had been barging into his thoughts way too much lately. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Neru and Haku exchanged a meaningful look. Neru didn't seem particularly affected by the news, but he was sure he didn't mistake the look of disappointment on Haku's face. He could guess what was going on immediately, and wondered if the girl would say anything about her interest in him. It seemed unlikely. Yowane Haku was known to be one of the shyest girls in school, and relied a great deal on Neru to help her say things and interact with other people. No wonder Neru was talking to him now. The blonde was beautiful, he would readily admit that, but she pretty much only had eyes for Gumo. Even if her attention was solely because she couldn't stand his guts…or was that just an act?

He had overheard Mizki gossiping with his sister enough times to understand that Neru might just be _pretending_ to hate Gumo. Why, he had no idea and he didn't care enough to find out more, but it was interesting to hear rumours about someone besides himself for once. "I guess I can understand that," Neru finally answered, raising one eyebrow. "Has to be a huge chore, being a walking dick," a corner of her lips tilted up, but the jibe was said without any real malice behind it. Len rolled his eyes and didn't deign to respond. Neru laughed. "But are you considering…getting back to it, then?"

Len took a moment to carefully consider his next words. Neru was known to be brash and talkative, and if you told her a single rumour you could be sure that the entire school would know about it within the next three days. She was extremely popular – just like Rei, she probably had the contact numbers of most of their cohort – and she was notoriously bad at keeping secrets. People often used Neru as a way to broadcast information. If he said that he wasn't interested, people would no doubt learn of it and begin to wonder why. But if he said he _was_ going to continue sleeping around, he was certain that Miku would hear about it…and that would greatly upset her. He could practically hear her nagging voice in his head already. And besides that, he didn't want to disappoint her…

"Not for now," he finally settled on a response. Neru paused, then nodded slowly, as though she had heard some secret meaning behind his words. He continued, hoping that she would not somehow misinterpret what he said. "And likely not in the near future either. I'm trying a…a lifestyle change," he shrugged, poking at his pasta salad. It wasn't very good, but it was a choice between this and some extremely overcooked steak, and he decided on the lesser of two evils. Too bad Piko wasn't around. Piko would eat anything as long as it was somewhat edible. But the brat was searching for Kagene Rei and had yet to return to the cafeteria. Len idly wondered why Piko was taking so long.

"Lifestyle change?" Haku's quiet voice cut into the silence, startling both him and Neru. They turned to look, and Haku was staring intently at them, her bright crimson eyes filled with curiosity. Len shuddered, a sudden chill running down his back. Though Haku did not look anything like his deranged stalker, she did have the same silver hair and bloody red eyes as Sukone Tei, and that reminded him of how she had recently found him. No doubt she would be trying to track him down again. He had to be careful when he went outside for the time being. "What kind of lifestyle change, Len?"

He shrugged again. "Um, a healthier lifestyle, I guess. Better for my mental health," he added, scooping some of his cold pasta up and grimacing as he chewed. It was a little slimy by now. He pushed the bowl away, deciding that he'd rather throw it away than force down anymore of the food. He'd grab a snack from the deli on the way home or something. "Don't we all wish for change in our lives, every once in a while?" he asked. As he spoke, he realised that he _had_ changed – ever since Miku appeared in his life he had stopped resigning himself to his stagnant existence, and she was slowly but surely changing the way he thought about things as well. She made things…possible.

"Don't we all," Neru echoed, a wistful expression on her face. He caught her eye for a few seconds, her violet gaze staring him down, before she finally nodded and turned to face her best friend. "Hey, Haku, shouldn't we get ready for class? You said you'd teach me how to do that stupid question," the blonde nudged her friend away from the table, her attention already drifting away from Len. Haku nodded, glancing back at Len as though she wanted to say something more, but in the end she kept quiet and followed Neru away from his table. Len was then left alone in the cafeteria once more.

The focused stare he felt on him was gone too. He still had no idea who had been watching him, but he figured it was just some girl. There was no shortage of girls staring at him. He had a reputation here, after all. Exhaling, he looked out of the window – the sky was bright blue today, which was nice. It was getting colder and colder, a sure sign that winter was coming. And that meant the Music Festival was approaching as well. He still had yet to start on the final movement of the song they wished to submit, but without Miku he could do little. Maybe he ought to give her a call…

Oh, and he could tell her what he found out from his diary as well, right? Yesterday night, he finally managed to get through the first few diary entries. It wasn't _too_ difficult to read once he got used to his scratchy handwriting. Of course, young Len mostly wrote about the events that happened in his day, and while they seemed fairly mundane, Len was extremely fascinated by his younger self's shenanigans and the trouble he often got into. He couldn't imagine himself doing all this now.

But besides just being an interesting read, his diary entries always made reference to a girl. It seemed that when he was younger, he had a very close friend, a girl at that, and he knew it was not Rin. Younger Len often mentioned Rin in his diary entries, and it was rarely in a flattering manner. It seemed that when he was a child he was not particularly fond of his twin. A small smile crossed his face – yes, people really did change. He didn't think he was anything like his younger self at all.

The girl he had become close to seemed to be very dear to him, though Len couldn't for the life of him remember who she was. Younger Len appeared to be very concerned about her, though he never said so explicitly – whenever this mysterious girl was brought up, the diary entries often described the meetings in great, careful detail. And while the other entries were filled with terrible grammatical and spelling errors, whenever the girl was mentioned the writing was clear and mistake free. He must have cared a great deal about her. Len could imagine himself as a child, sitting in his room and meticulously recording down everything he remembered despite how much he hated writing. He remembered enough about himself to know that his hatred of writing essays stemmed from his youth. But younger Len never mentioned the girl by name, always just using ' _she'_ or ' _her'_.

There had to be a reason why her name was never mentioned, but it was not explained in the diary. Len felt rather frustrated by that – perhaps this girl was still living in town, if only he could find out who she was! But it really was strange. If she was such a good friend to him, then why was it that she never returned after his accident? If he was so close to her then surely she must have known right away that he got into an accident, that he fell into a coma and ended up suffering from amnesia. So perhaps she no longer lived here? But Len had to find her. He was sure she held the key to his childhood – if he met someone so important in his past, it was bound to trigger memories, right?

Perhaps Miku could brainstorm with him over this. She was the only one, besides his family of course, who knew about his amnesia. Even Kaito and Piko did not know, since he met them in middle school after the accident took place and he never saw a reason to bring up his memory loss. Of course they knew he fell into a coma – the reporters had made sure to cover every aspect of his accident – but his family and the doctors kept his amnesia a secret, on his family's request. They didn't want anyone to take advantage of his memory loss. So for them, life continued as per normal.

He trusted Miku enough to tell her his secret, the second darkest one he had after his incestuous feelings for his sister. He could never explain to Miku _exactly_ why he was so desperate to recover his memories, but thankfully this wasn't something that had to be explained. In the end, his desperation and his desire to sleep around all boiled down to the same cause – his feelings for Rin. He did not think that Miku, for all her attempts to change him and understand him, would ever be okay with those feelings. If only he could tell someone and make sense of his situation! But who could he possibly ever tell? Frowning, he continued to gaze out of the window, watching the autumn leaves.

The break would be over soon. He ought to get going. There was just one more class after this, and he would be free to go home. He knew his sister was having Advanced Art classes now and would end lessons earlier than him, but he was sure she would hang around in the art room to finish her final project, so he'd just leave without her today. Kaito would send her back home anyway. Speaking of Kaito, where was he? Len hadn't seen him the entire day either. Should he be concerned for him?

While it wouldn't be surprising for Len – or Piko, actually – to occasionally skip school, Kaito would never do so without a valid reason. Admittedly, Len and Kaito did not share any classes today so usually, he wouldn't see his friend anyway, but he normally would at least spot him around the campus and he realised that he hadn't seen Kaito's navy hair or trademark white scarf at all today. Maybe he was spending time with his sister in the art room? That was possible…he waited for the familiar prick of jealousy that normally came with imagining Kaito and Rin together, but for once it didn't come. In fact, he felt remarkably at ease thinking of the couple. No bitterness rose in his stomach, and he didn't feel the urge to run away from the room and throw up. For once, he felt perfectly fine.

Strange. Maybe he was just distracted by his newly discovered options, the glimmer of hope he now had from reading his diary. Now there was a chance he might actually learn more about himself and see if that could put a stop to his sinful feelings. And he had to admit that Miku's challenge to him and the presence of the teal haired girl herself was quite a good diversion as well – nowadays he found himself thinking less and less about his sister and her boyfriend. He was slightly cheered by this – so he ought to thank Miku for her presence and for being willing to befriend him. Of course he still did not wish to merely remain as friends with her, but…just her friendship alone had helped him.

Maybe he ought to give her a call. He suddenly wanted to hear her voice. And they had to go through their submission for the Music Festival anyway. Rising from the table and picking up his tray of cold pasta, he dialled her number while tossing the unfinished meal into the trash, listening to the phone ring. It rang for quite some time, and he was about to hang up and try again later when the call suddenly went through, and a breathless voice answered the phone. It was not Miku's voice.

"Mizki?" Len spoke, incredulous. "Why are you answering the call?" and more importantly, what was that girl doing with Miku's phone? Then again, she and Miku were friends – not that Len would ever understand why. Mizki was reckless and pushy, often doing whatever she wanted without any thought for the consequences, while Miku was obviously more cautious and sensible. The two girls were completely different from each other, and if Len were in Miku's place, having to constantly deal with Mizki's persistence and bullheadedness would frustrate him to no end. But that was why he wasn't friends with her. Besides the fact that Mizki was not particularly fond of him either.

"Oh ugh, it's Len," Mizki's tone soured. It appeared that she did not check who was calling before she picked up. "Miku and I went to exercise together at the recreation centre. She's in the shower now, so I'm just answering for her. Why are _you_ calling Miku, anyway?" her voice was a little hostile. Of course. Mizki wouldn't want Len hitting on Miku. No one really seemed to want him near her – he wasn't blind, he could see that.

"She's my partner for the Music Festival. I have all right to call her if I want to," he answered shortly. Mizki snorted, but didn't otherwise interrupt. "I need to meet up with her to discuss our piece. Can you just pass the phone to her so that I can talk to her about it? It'll be a really quick call," he promised.

There was silence for a moment, then finally Mizki sighed. "It's her phone, so it's her choice whether or not she wants to answer," she responded, sounding a little strange. Why did she make answering a simple phone call sound like such a life-changing decision? "Lucky for you that she just finished bathing. Hang on a sec, I'll pass the phone to her," and the next few words sounded like they were being spoken from some distance away. Len could not tell who was saying what, but when he was next greeted by a voice, thankfully it belonged to Miku rather than Mizki. She sounded exhausted.

"Hey, Len," she spoke. Her tone was dull. "Mizki says you want to discuss our music piece? When do you want to do so?" she yawned over the phone. Len raised an eyebrow. Miku sounded remarkably lifeless. She must be very tired after her exercise session with Mizki, which was understandable. That girl learnt martial arts from her brother and liked to keep active – Mizki was the kind of athlete who just couldn't stay still. "I'm not free today and tomorrow," she added before he could say anything.

"Oh, what are you busy with?" he asked, unable to help his curiosity. Miku did not respond right away, though he could hear the faint murmurs of a distant conversation. Maybe she was talking to Mizki about something. He waited patiently, standing by the doorway to the cafeteria. She really didn't sound quite like herself today. Miku was normally a lot more energetic than this…was her exercise session really that intense, or was there some other reason?

Maybe what he said last night was true, and she really was falling ill. Perhaps she had caught his sickness. He really hoped not. "Nothing much," she finally answered. "Just…just not free," her tone was evasive. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Was she trying to avoid him or something? But there was no reason for her to do that. "I can meet you during class on Wednesday, right? What do we need to discuss?" for a moment, she sounded more enthusiastic, more like her usual self.

"A final movement," he answered, watching the students walking past. Some of them occasionally glanced at him, but no one paid him too much attention. The bell for the next class was going to ring soon, so he had to wrap up the conversation quickly – though some part of him still wondered what was wrong with Miku. She didn't seem too well today, judging from her listlessness. Miku made a sound of assent. "And…" he paused. Was he reading too much into the situation? He didn't want to come across as overly concerned, even if he really was. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah! I'm great!" her voice brightened a little, but he thought it sounded forced. Why he felt that, he wasn't sure – did he actually know her well enough to be able to tell when she was simply pretending to be happy? "Just a little tired after my workout. I'll be fine after some rest," she laughed. "I don't have any more classes so I'll be heading home after this. My parents are back, you know," she sounded genuinely excited now. That was a relief. "My mum texted me while I was in class, telling me that they're finally back home. It's great to see them again! Ah, maybe you should come over and meet them someday since I've met your mum before?" she invited. He could hear her smile.

She must really love her parents a lot. But more importantly – Len's face warmed slightly at the invitation and he covered his mouth, wondering if she knew what she was saying. Inviting him over to meet her parents? What, were they in a relationship now? There wasn't any need for that, surely. Yet she sounded so enthusiastic that he couldn't find it in him to shoot her down immediately. He used to be able to reject girls without batting a single eyelid. Miku was clearly making him soft, and he didn't think that was a good thing. "Uh…is that…well, _necessary_?"

Miku paused. He could hear her breathing. Neither one of them said anything for a few seconds. "Oh. Um, right," she finally spoke, her voice small. "Yeah, you don't have to come over. I just thought it would be nice, since…since I did eat dinner at your place before. I just wanted to return the favour," she continued, her voice becoming even softer. Len instantly felt guilty. Even though he could only hear her voice, he could still imagine the stricken look on her face, and he didn't want her to look so upset. The memory of her face from the café yesterday floated through his mind, and he winced. No, that kind of look didn't suit her at all. "I'm sorry I ever brought it up. Forget I said anything," she babbled.

"No, no, it's fine," he changed his mind, cutting her off before she could continue rambling. She quietened. "I'll come over. I'll cook too, if you want me to," he offered. "I'm a pretty good cook, believe it or not. And I'm sure your parents are really nice people," he scratched his head, wondering what the hell he was doing. This was extremely uncharacteristic behaviour for him. But then again, if he went over to her place and had dinner with her parents, he might gain some plus points with her, right? And that couldn't be a bad thing. Yeah, as long as he managed to sleep with her, he'd do it.

Miku sounded relieved. "Okay, great! Tonight should be fine. And no, you're the guest, so I'll cook," she stated firmly. He couldn't find it in himself to argue back. "We can discuss the piece after that, I suppose. Let me just tell my parents that my friend is coming over for dinner. I'll see you later then!" she said goodbye and hung up after he returned the farewell. He lowered the phone from his ear, staring pensively at Miku's contact details. It seemed that now, he had…a dinner date of sorts.

Chasing Miku really required him to do all sorts of different things. He had never expended so much energy on a single girl before, even back when he was sixteen and he had just started seducing girls. Was she really worth it? What was he trying to prove when he finally managed to sleep with Miku? Initially he wanted to do so because she wasn't interested in him and had even told him off for his lifestyle – he wished to make her fall for him so that she would know just how pathetic her lectures and self-righteousness were. But now…now that they were friends, what did he want to achieve?

He wasn't too sure himself. He was doing this because in the past he had wanted to do so, and he was simply fulfilling that desire. It didn't make sense to just give up on her halfway. He still felt the urge to take her, the same urge he experienced the first time he met her, but the reasons behind that urge had changed. And for now, he had no idea what his new reasons were.


	23. Chapter 23

Miku was panicking. Len was going to come over in a few minutes, and she still didn't know what had made her invite him over to her house in the first place. She had done so recklessly, the words slipping thoughtlessly from her mouth, and she only realised what she said when the first thing that greeted her invitation was silence.

Of course Len would be shocked. And she hadn't been surprised when he questioned her for asking him over. After all, there was no need for him to meet her parents, right? It wasn't like they were dating or anything – they were just friends, and there would not be anything more than that, she would never allow such a thing. But at that moment it had seemed like such a wonderful idea.

She sighed, pacing back and forth in her living room. She could start cooking soon, but she was so nervous that she wasn't really in the mood to enter the kitchen. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and noted that her parents would be home in three hours – plenty of time, since she had already allowed the chicken to marinate and she just had to cook everything – but at the same time, it didn't seem like enough time. How could she explain to her parents that Len was just her friend and partner for the Music Festival, and not anything more than that? They wouldn't believe her.

Miku never exactly had a lot of male friends growing up – at least, not any that she would consider particularly close. Of course back when she was younger and she mixed around with the wrong company, she hung out with plenty of guys, but her parents didn't _know_ about them or who they were. She had never invited anyone home before, not even when she was a social butterfly with too many friends to count, and this would be the first time. She was certain that her parents would read too much into the situation and assume that Len was someone special to her – which he was, but…

It wasn't in the way they would no doubt assume him to be. She exhaled. He was special once, and he still _was_ special in some way since she undeniably cared about his wellbeing, but they wouldn't be anything more than friends. She repeated that like a mantra to herself over and over again, still pacing back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back. And suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Her first reaction was to freeze and stare at the door, her heart hammering in her chest. A moment later he decided to knock, and Miku shook herself, hurrying over to the door and allowing her guest to come in. She _knew_ it would be Len, even without looking through the peephole first – and sure enough, Len entered the house, rubbing his hand awkwardly across the back of his neck, his gaze flitting over everything but her. She closed the door behind him, wondering why she felt so nervous.

Len was dressed in a black sweater and jeans, and his hair was tied up into a ponytail as always. He was actually wearing his glasses, which surprised her since he said he normally didn't wear them, and he looked neat and presentable. "What time are your parents coming?" he spoke to her first.

"Half-past nine, assuming everything goes smoothly," she answered, self-consciously looping her long hair behind her ear. She suddenly realised that Len looked much better groomed than her – she was still in the ratty old shirt and shorts she had changed into after returning home from school. "I texted them saying that you're here for dinner tonight. They're still on their flight so they haven't seen the message but I know they won't mind. They'll be happy to see that I'm making friends here," she smiled, though her smile was a little bit strained. Len returned the smile, relaxing slightly.

"I can help you with the cooking," he offered, looking in the direction of her kitchen. "What are you making for dinner? I'm a _really_ good cook," he laughed, his blue eyes warm. She felt her heart speed up a bit and told herself it was just her nerves. This was all so new – her parents meeting one of her friends, a male friend at that, and her willingly inviting Len to her house. It made her wonder what happened to her initial determination to not ever become involved with Kagamine Len.

"Um, it's very simple really. Alfredo cream penne with roast chicken and crème brûlée," she laughed too, though she knew she sounded really awkward compared to Len. Len blinked, looking surprised at that, and she shuffled her feet, averting her gaze and looking towards the kitchen. "What?" she asked, sounding defensive now. Len just shook his head and leant against the back of her couch.

"I didn't know you can make crème brûlée. That's one of my favourite desserts…besides anything to do with bananas, of course," he grinned. "I'm really impressed. Whoever gets you as their girlfriend is going to be really lucky," he continued. Miku's head snapped back to face him at that comment.

"Girlfriend?" she spluttered, her face probably going red by now. Why was she so flustered? She had been this way around Len ever since that time he touched her hand in the piano room. Len blinked, nodding at her, and she gulped, stepping towards the kitchen. "Uh, well, that's provided I can find a guy to date in the first place," she brushed her hair away from her shoulder, turning so that she didn't have to look at him. "I guess I should start preparing now. You can just sit and wait in the living room!"

"No, I'm helping you," he followed her into the kitchen, much to her distress. "I'll be bored in the living room if I have to wait three hours for your parents to arrive. Besides, I'm having dinner here, so the least I could do is to help you with your cooking," he shrugged, pushing up the sleeves of his sweater. Miku glanced at him and caught a glimpse of his toned, lean forearms, and hastily looked away.

"Fine, but don't get under my feet," she warned, finally deciding that it'd be a waste of breath to try and chase Len away from the kitchen. "You can help me wash the broccoli and carrots. Use that bowl," she pointed towards a cabinet on the other side of the kitchen, positioning herself as far away from the sink as possible. Her kitchen wasn't big, and she hoped that she would be able to cook without making any kind of physical contact with Len, intentional or otherwise. Len nodded.

At least he seemed remarkably serious about this. She didn't think he would give her any trouble, so she tried to focus on taking out the penne and hoping that she wouldn't get too distracted by his presence. Len didn't talk to her except to ask her for further instruction, for which she was grateful.

* * *

Len glanced at Miku, who had her back facing him, her long hair tied up into a loose bun as she chopped her roasted chicken into smaller bits. There was a smudge of alfredo cream sauce on her cheek, which she didn't seem to have noticed. He was quite tempted to reach over and wipe it away from her skin, and see the pink blush that would dust her cheeks at the action. Or he could lick it –

No, he had to stop thinking about that. He glanced at the soup, which Miku had decided to make at the very last moment since she had two cans of creamy chicken soup in her kitchen cabinet. It smelled great, and his stomach rumbled, proclaiming his hunger for all to hear. Miku glanced around at the growling sound, a small smile of amusement on her face. His breath caught. She was lovely.

He knew she was feeling really awkward about having him in her house, and he would bet that she was already somewhat regretting asking him over, but she didn't dare to rescind the invitation after he had already accepted it and so here they were, dancing on eggshells around each other. Not that _he_ felt particularly awkward around her – that was a very one-sided feeling on her part – but he was being careful not to aggravate her or anything. Her parents were coming, and the last thing Len wanted was to give her parents a negative impression of himself. He wanted them on his side.

By this point he had more or less figured that the only way he could get Miku to sleep with him was if they were more than friends – she wasn't someone who would hook up with just anyone, he'd have to be blind not to see that – and he wouldn't be surprised if she was holding out till she got married before she lost her virginity. Len had no intentions of marrying her, he was too young to think about something like that, but he was fairly confident that if he got her to become his girlfriend he would be able to change her mind about premarital sex. And if Miku's parents liked him, then it would just help him with his endeavours, right? So he had to be on his absolute best behaviour.

"Hungry already?" Miku asked, voice filled with mischievous humour. "There's cookies in that cupboard if you want – or you can have some of the chicken, I don't think we actually need this much," she gestured towards her chopping board, where a giant heap of roast chicken was piled up to one side, the fragrant aroma tempting him. He gladly took up the offer, approaching the chopping board, and he didn't miss the way Miku tensed up slightly when he came near her. He hid a smile.

Deliberately stopping behind her – she had been chopping the chicken beside the sink, and that left her trapped between him and the counter – he leant over her, his arm almost touching her bare skin. She remained very still. "Wow, this smells amazing," he commented, picking up a small handful of chicken and popping it in his mouth. He meant what he said, though. The chicken was tender and the roast skin was juicy and flavourful – whatever she marinated the meat in was clearly effective. "I'd eat the whole thing if you'd allow me to," he joked, still lingering behind her.

"Then there'd be nothing left for dinner," she retorted, shrinking against the counter when he didn't move away immediately. He shrugged, reaching out and picking up another pinch of roast chicken. Miku didn't tell him to leave, which he took to be a good sign. Instead, she exhaled audibly, reaching to the sink to wash her hands. He saw the back of her top rise slightly at that action, revealing just the tiniest hint of bare, milky skin, and suddenly he was quite tempted to lean over and kiss her.

He ignored the urge, this time stepping away so that he wouldn't give in to his impulses. Miku finished washing her hands and shook them, the water droplets flying across the counter. "Could you check if the soup is done?" she glanced at him for a moment, catching his eye, before returning her attention to her chopping board. "It should be ready about now. And after this I have to start making the crème brûlée," she smiled. "I can teach you how to prepare it if you're interested."

"Yeah, sounds good," Len agreed, retreating to the pot of soup and peering into the pot. The steam fogged up his glasses, but he wasn't really looking at the soup anyway. Instead, he couldn't stop thinking about that exposed sliver of fair skin Miku had unwittingly revealed to him. His heart was in his throat. This girl was making him feel in a way he had never felt before – why was this so? Was it just because she was different from the other girls, despite knowing full well what he was like?

* * *

They were done cooking and cleaning with slightly less than twenty minutes to spare, and Miku and Len were now in the living room, talking about their music piece. For once, they were disagreeing.

"I think it should be fast," Len pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose, tapping his foot against the floor. He couldn't believe that she was questioning his creative direction – no one had ever done that before, and he didn't think Miku, of all people, would be the first person to do so.

Miku frowned, her arms folded across her chest, sitting on the armchair and facing him resolutely. "No, I think it should slow down towards the end," she insisted. "It's my music piece! I know what was going through my head when I thought of it," she added, meeting his gaze steadfastly. He was momentarily caught off-guard by those emerald eyes, filled with a passion that was not unlike his.

He could see a bit of himself in her. She loved music, perhaps as much as he did. The idea of that made him soften – not much, just a little. "I know you composed the original, but you gave it to me so that we could rearrange and change it for the Music Festival, no?" he asked. "Meaning that a substantial part of the current composition contains my influence now. And believe me – you've seen the score for yourself – you know why I say that a movement with a faster tempo makes sense."

"Yes, I know! But…" she hesitated, and he tilted his head, curious. He could tell that she was on the verge of admitting something to him, and he waited patiently while she twiddled her thumbs, staring down at the score on the table. They had printed it out using her printer, since Len had stored the almost-finished score in his cloud drive. "I told you that I composed this piece when I found out that I'd be returning here," she breathed. "And when I heard that, I was really happy – that's why the piece is so happy, right? At least that's the dominant mood of the piece, though I guess some parts sound more wistful than happy. But after staying here this long, I've been thinking about things…"

"Do you want to move away?" he immediately asked, jumping to conclusions. Her head snapped up at him, eyes wide, and he realised he couldn't explain the fear that rung through his voice, not even to himself. He swallowed and tried to pretend that he wasn't actually as panicky as he sounded. "I mean, if you move away, then that kind of renders our deal void, right? Since you wouldn't really be a close, physical friend of mine anymore," he hedged, trying to explain away his sudden interruption.

Miku just smiled, though it was a very small smile. "You know, not sleeping around will benefit you more than it would me," she shrugged. "Yeah, you say that you enjoy it and you use it as a means of relieving stress…but there are other ways," she pressed, "and the time that you spend flirting and having sex can be spent doing more productive things. You're really smart, Len, and you're a great composer too," he wasn't sure if he imagined the tinge of bitterness in her words, "so why waste your energy on sex when you could do so much more with your time, right? At least that's what I think…" she quietened, and for a moment the two of them didn't say a single word.

Eventually he coughed, breaking the strange silence. "That's not something we have to talk about now," he answered shortly. "Anyway, you were saying? You were thinking about things…?" he tried to pull the conversation back to where they had been before they digressed. Miku nodded.

"Yeah, I was thinking about things. Sure, there's a lot of happiness about coming back here, but I hold some bittersweet memories of this place too. It's not exactly all fun and games, coming back," she paused. "And if this is a piece to describe my feelings about coming home, I don't think it'd be fair to just exclude those bittersweet memories. Those memories defined my past here too, and I don't want to just gloss over everything. I want the piece to be as genuine and authentic as possible…kind of like your works, I suppose," she fidgeted. "I don't want it to be a smooth, polished production. I want it to have _feeling_ , and if I can put in a bit of my heart and soul, even if it's not fully happy…why not?"

Len pondered over her words. Again, that comparison to his work – it was actually a little frustrating, he wished there was a way to make Miku more confident about her own abilities, but he knew that was not the main point here. He could understand where she was coming from, even sympathise with her. But he knew that it would be extremely difficult to incorporate such an abrupt shift in mood into the piece, given that the first two movements were already very upbeat and joyous. The sudden switch would be shocking, and depending on how that was executed, it could either add or minus marks to their score. Len knew what kinds of pieces made the cut at the Music Festival, and shocking the audience could go either way. It was something that he himself had never done at the Festival.

"If we change the mood of the piece so suddenly…it'll be a fairly abrupt shift in mood, because I don't think there's any way to make the change _not_ startling. The whole build-up towards the final movement gives no indication of this. Besides, it's usually the second movement out of three that changes, and the final one is supposed to be similar in mood to the first. You know this too," he explained, waiting for her to agree before he continued. She nodded reluctantly. "But I also respect your artistic direction. Like you said, it's your composition…" he hesitated. "You know best what you want out of this," he finally continued. "I don't want this to be something that is made just for the sake of winning the Festival, since this is a personal project of yours. Composing to win takes the joy out of music. So maybe we can see if we want to change the second movement into –"

"No!" she cut across him, and he blinked, startled by her vehement rejection. She calmed herself down, clasping her hands together on her lap. "I mean…I think it's beautiful just the way it is now. I love how bright and energetic the second movement is, and I don't want that to be changed," she stressed. "I just want the third movement to be slower and more…reminiscent, I guess. I want to evoke sentiment, that sense of loss when you think back to what you once had," she sounded wistful, and her gaze was fixed on the wall opposite her rather than on him. She seemed lost in her memories, and Len wondered what she was thinking about. He was kind of envious of her, since she had all these memories to recall, while he had absolutely nothing within him. He was just a shell of his old self.

"So we're leaving it sudden?" he asked, a little concerned about what that would imply for their work. He wanted to win – he had never lost before, not once ever since he started participating in the Music Festival – but at the same time, he didn't want to upset her. And ultimately, he could not refute the fact that this original composition belonged to her. "We could work with that, just…I don't know how that will affect the judges' opinion. They might either applaud our daring or consider it the mark of an amateur," he warned. Miku nodded in understanding, and he frowned down at the score on the coffee table, tracing his fingers across the black notes. "We have to work together."

"I'll be free on Wednesday," she answered, and he lifted his gaze towards her. She was looking back at him, her green eyes resolute. "Don't worry! We're both working hard for this so we're bound to win," she reassured him, her words so sincere that Len couldn't help but feel more convinced.

He was about to reply when he heard the sound of a key turning in a lock. Miku must have heard the sound too, for she abruptly rose from the armchair and ran over to the front door, almost tripping in her excitement. Len followed her at a more sedate pace, knowing it was most likely Miku's parents and wondering what they were like. Miku bounced on her feet, clearly waiting for the door to open, and there was a pause before the front door finally swung wide, and he saw two people standing outside, clearly surprised to see Miku right in front of them. Miku said nothing, just lunging forward and hugging them.

Len watched as the man and woman, who both had the same teal hair and green eyes as their daughter, laughed and hugged her back, the trio enveloping each other in warmth and welcomes. He smiled at the sight – Miku had such a genuine grin on her face, and it made her look radiant. She had always been pretty, but the joy that she was practically emitting made her beautiful. "Miku! We missed you so," the woman exclaimed, pulling back from the embrace to look over her daughter.

"I missed you too, Mum," Miku responded, pecking the woman on her cheek. The woman, Miku's mother, laughed again and glanced over at her husband, who ruffled Miku's hair and winked at his wife. Len was reminded somewhat of the relationship between his own parents. Miku certainly seemed to be close to her parents – no wonder she missed them while they were away. "How is everything, are all your papers settled? Or will you have to fly off again for other things?"

"We still have something to discuss with the buyer of our property, and your mother saw something on sale which she forgot to buy since we were _rushing_ to the airport, so we might have to fly back again," her father answered, though the humour in his voice indicated that he wasn't truly annoyed. Miku's mother rolled her eyes and hit him lightly on the shoulder. "But even if we do fly back it'll be a much shorter trip this time, definitely less than a week. How was school so far for you, Miku?"

"Oh, it's not too bad," she answered, chipper. "I had some assignments and a few quizzes are coming up, but besides that everything's great!" she glanced around at him, and her parents lifted their gazes towards him as well, looking curious. "By the way, Mum, Dad, this is the friend I told you I invited over for dinner…Kagamine Len," she introduced, looking back at her parents while she said his name. Len smiled awkwardly and approached the two adults, who pulled their luggage into the house and closed the door behind them. Miku looked a lot like her mother, but she had her father's eye shape – slightly droopy, almost puppylike, while her mother's eyes were more almond shaped.

"Kagamine Len," her father was the first one to speak, clearly sizing him up while he stared him down, and Len felt slightly uncomfortable, wondering whether the man was about to warn him against getting too close to his daughter. He had no idea if Miku's father would be the kind who was overprotective of his children. But then suddenly the man smiled and held out a hand, grasping Len's and shaking it firmly. "It's wonderful to meet you. I didn't know my daughter had a boyfriend already! She hasn't even been here for that long!" he continued, ignoring Miku's frantic protests.

Len wanted to correct the man, but before he could Miku's mother chimed in as well. "Yes, it's so delightful to see that she's getting along with a boy! She's never brought home anyone for us to meet before," the woman's green eyes sparkled, making Len feel even more uncomfortable. They were a little too…intense for him. "You seem like a nice boy. Are you from Miku's school as well?"

"Uh, yes, I am," he managed to answer, wondering how to get himself out of this situation. The two adults were standing right in front of him, staring intently at him as though trying to figure out what kind of person he was through observation alone. He glanced at Miku, silently asking for help.

"Mum, Dad, he's _not_ my boyfriend," Miku raised her voice again as her parents continued to ignore her. "He's just a _friend_. I told you he's my partner for the Music Festival they have in town – Mum, you're going to creep him out!" she spluttered as the woman got _extremely_ close to him, staring deep into his eyes. Len wanted to back away from her but he thought that might seem very rude.

"Yeah, we're partners for the Music Festival. And friends," he added feebly. He had no experience with meeting parents, since he never pretended that any of his sex partners were his girlfriends, and he was never interested in meeting anyone's parents to begin with. He was feeling overwhelmed by the entire experience, and thought that maybe getting Miku to become his girlfriend wasn't really worth this intense scrutiny. "We met on her first day of school. And it turned out that we're neighbours."

"Neighbours!" her mother echoed, exchanging a look with her husband. Len abruptly realised that maybe he shouldn't have volunteered such information. "We must drop by and say hello to your parents as well. It'd only be polite, since you came to visit us. Don't you agree, dear?" she asked.

Miku's father nodded sagely. "We must bring some of the snacks we brought over from our old home. They're delicious, and you can't find them anywhere here," he promised, a broad smile on his face. Len scratched the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly, wondering what he was supposed to say. They reminded him of his parents, but more stubborn – which was not necessarily a good thing.

"Dad, stop it," Miku sounded exasperated. "The dinner is going to get cold at this rate. Let's go into the kitchen and bring out the food, then we can enjoy our meal!" she continued, tugging on her parents' arms and dragging them away from Len. Len let out a sigh of relief when he was finally given some personal space, deciding to skip going to the kitchen and just head straight for the table where Miku would put the food. He'd rather not get into close proximity with her parents again.

It was nice though, seeing this side of Miku. Despite her frustration with her parents' bullheadedness she clearly enjoyed seeing them again, and that made itself clear on her face. She was lovely when she smiled so genuinely, and Len wished that he would be able to see that bright smile of hers more often.

* * *

Len had finally escaped Miku's house. He was exhausted – her parents had grilled him thoroughly about his life and his ambitions while at the dinner table, and it hadn't been easy, fielding their questions without accidentally revealing anything about himself which might seem undesirable. Miku had butted in a lot, especially when it came to more sensitive questions like his attitudes towards marriage and premarital sex, and he was extremely grateful for her help.

Why the hell were they even asking him about premarital sex anyway? Were they afraid that he had already done the deed with their daughter? He hadn't, but he definitely intended to do so. Not that Miku, or her parents, needed to know that. "Your parents are certainly interesting people," Len commented, leaning against the porch and staring up at the night sky. There were plenty of stars visible tonight, and it reminded him of his room, the high ceiling covered in a spangled banner of dark blue and white. His room was pretty, that was true, but in his room he was always alone…

It was different, having company so late at night, company that wasn't sexual in nature. But it was a nice kind of different, he couldn't deny that. "Yeah, they are. I guess it's because we moved around so much. They're really open-minded and accepting – though I always did enjoy pushing their limits and seeing how far they would go," Miku's voice turned strange at this part, and Len looked over at her, curious. He hadn't missed the subtle change in her tone. Miku paused, then returned his look with a bright smile. "I'm glad to see them again. Hopefully we won't move away anytime soon!"

"Why do your parents keep moving, though?" he asked. He had never asked for the reason, though he bet it must be something important in order for their entire family to keep moving, over and over again, with a little girl in tow – for how old was Miku when they first began to travel?

"For work reasons, mostly. Sometimes they just got bored of our current town and left. It helps that my parents are entrepreneurs – they don't own a huge business, but it's enough to have a comfortable lifestyle. And my mother has this hobby where she buys really old, rundown houses and renovates them before selling them off…or keeping them, most of the time. That's where most of our money goes! But having enough to live on and be happy is good enough for me," she laughed.

Len had found out about Miku's colourful family history during his dinner with her family. He knew that Miku recently moved back from abroad, but he hadn't known that her family shifted _so many_ times in between. It was a surprise that Miku hadn't broken down from stress or loneliness – she must not have been very happy when she was younger, constantly being uprooted and having to make friends all over again in a new place, a new home. He couldn't imagine such a life…though on one hand, he could sympathise. After all, he had woken up once in a completely new, foreign environment, and he had to struggle to learn everything again. Till this day he still couldn't recall his past.

"Must have been tough, being shifted around so often," he commented. "I don't know if I'd be able to put up with it for so long, the way you did. I guess adults don't exactly take into account kids' feelings when they make decisions like that," he smiled humourlessly. Miku didn't respond. "And you must have left behind a lot of friends, lots of times too…you're really strong," he observed.

"Yeah. I left behind a lot of friends," she murmured. "But only one of them ever really mattered to me," she met his gaze then, and he thought he could see pain in her green eyes. But he blinked and then the raw emotion within those vivid depths was gone. "It's getting late. My parents kept you for some time, I hope you don't mind their enthusiasm. I'll try to make it clear that we're in _no_ way dating when I go back inside," she gestured towards her house, looking shifty as she said that.

"Maybe it won't be such a bad idea to let them think that, though," he commented, enjoying the startled look on her face when he spoke up. But he quickly continued, knowing she would most likely panic and avoid him if she thought he was being serious. "I'm just kidding. I know we're friends," he reassured her, grinning. "And that you don't see me that way…or vice-versa, really. You're much too pushy for my tastes," he teased. Miku was still gaping at him, stunned, and he stretched, shifting away from the porch. "I should be heading back now. It's a school night, technically, and it's late."

"I know," Miku evidently decided to ignore the whole comment about the dating thing. "Don't oversleep tomorrow, Len. Maybe I'll see you around in school. Thanks for coming over…and thank you for agreeing to my decision for the composition," she added, making him pause. He glanced back at her, still standing out at the porch, and nodded once before he continued on his way.

Miku watched as Len's figure got smaller and smaller, until he turned down the next street and she could see him no longer. She sighed, rubbing the back of her hand against her cheek and wondering why she was feeling this way about him now. She knew she didn't have a crush on him or anything, so she couldn't figure out why she was feeling so strange about Len. Was it just because he was reminding her, more and more, of the Len she knew back before she moved away and he lost his memories? He was becoming _nice_ – teasing her even, but she was afraid of what was happening.

If he recalled his memories what would that spell for their current relationship, and what would that mean for him? She knew the old Len would _never_ have done the things that Len did now. He would never have slept around with so many girls, uncaring of whether or not they missed him, pined for him, hurt themselves for him. He might claim that it made him uncomfortable, knowing girls went to such extremes for his attention, but it certainly wasn't enough to make him stop in the past. The old Len would never have been so callous. That was why she liked him, why they had been good friends.

She wanted, on one hand, Len to have his memories back, but on the other hand she was frightened of the possible repercussions of him remembering. Hopefully things would just stay in this status quo and their current relationship, which was comfortable enough, would remain unchanged. Miku was afraid of change, and Len recalling his memories would definitely bring about great change.


	24. Chapter 24

Miku was pretty satisfied with what they had created. It had been a few weeks since the time Len came to her house to have dinner, and since then they had continuously worked on their competition piece until both of them were happy with what they had.

It didn't come as any surprise to her that Len was more particular about the overall quality of the music – to her, as long as the piece sounded nice and conveyed the mood she wanted it to convey, she was fine – but eventually even the blond-haired composer thought they had done a good job and now, they were sitting in a nice café, having a congratulatory meal.

"To all our hard work," there was a faint smirk on Len's face as he raised his cup of coffee, toasting her. She smiled and touched her glass of iced tea to his cup, and they both drank deeply, Miku glad that everything was over. From now until the Festival, which would be in one month right before they had their winter break, they just had to make revisions to the score, but the bulk of the work was settled. Which meant she now had time to really throw herself into her studies. Of course, she hadn't been dedicating all her time to music and completely neglecting her academics, but she could have studied a whole lot more.

"Have you started studying for the exams?" Miku asked, lowering her glass of tea and eyeing Len carefully. If she knew him at all – and she would say that, after all these weeks, she definitely knew him to some extent – he probably hadn't even started. But the painfully unfair thing about this was that, even though Len tended to study at the very last minute, he would probably still do better than majority of their cohort. Life just wasn't fair, so she had to work harder to catch up to him. At least she wasn't starting from the very bottom.

"No," he answered breezily, the way she knew he would. Len was wearing his spectacles again today. She noticed that he was leaving them on more and more frequently now, and she actually wondered why but she never asked either. It was his own decision whether or not he wanted to wear them, after all. She thought it would be weird and kind of nosey if she started questioning his fashion decisions. Besides, Len didn't look horrible in them. It was quite the opposite. "I studied throughout the semester anyway, while I was doing all my work, so I didn't think I'd have to start revising too early. How about you?" he asked, leaning slightly closer, blue eyes alight with interest. Miku suddenly felt a little…well, strange.

Thankfully the past few weeks they had been so preoccupied with their music that she had no chance to think about her feelings. Perhaps ' _feelings_ ' wasn't really the right word to use, since she still absolutely insisted to herself that she had no intention of getting romantically involved with Len, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to deny that when she and Len were alone, she felt a…certain kind of way. It fell somewhere between fear and excitement, some kind of heady mixture of both. And she had no idea how to describe it to anyone.

Rin was really busy as well, getting ready for her art module's final project. Miku hardly ever saw her around anymore since she was always lost in the art room, working furiously on her paintings. And Mizki was currently dating some guy in school, Miku couldn't remember his name but she had seen him around a couple of times and she thought he was a nice, patient looking person who could balance Mizki's infectious energy. They were a really cute couple, so Miku was reluctant to bother her friend since she didn't want to interrupt anything. And Luka was always busy, even now, with Student Council affairs, so in the end Miku just spent most of her free time with Len. She guiltily wondered what Rin would say if she knew.

Speaking of the Student Council, Miku finally bumped into Rei two days after his party. He seemed a little quieter than usual, which was concerning, but when he noticed her he gave her his familiar bright, perky smile and calmed her down, saying that everything was fine. She couldn't stop apologising for ditching his party, but Rei told her that it was perfectly all right and she had to stop stressing out over things she couldn't control. Miku realised then that Rin must have told him she felt sick that night, and it just made her feel worse that he believed her lie, though she didn't let any of that guilt show on her face. But at least Rei wasn't angry at her…

He was fine the very next day, as upbeat and energetic as ever. She was still rather curious about why he was so quiet the first day she saw him again, especially given that he uncharacteristically skipped a day of school, but she didn't dare to ask. Was she considered close enough to Rei to ask such a sensitive question? She didn't want to be seen as sticking her nose where it didn't belong. And while she knew Rei likely wasn't the kind to think that way of anyone, she still felt a little self-conscious so in the end she held her tongue. Maybe she would ask some other day, if she bumped into him again. She didn't see him very often now, for some reason. It was as though he was spending all his time hiding in some corner of the campus.

Maybe he was studying, like every other student was. Like how _she_ ought to be studying. She really had to get back on track with her academic obligations. "Not yet," she admitted, fiddling with the straw in her tea. "I really should start. We have our finals in a month, and I'm still not getting some stuff in trigonometry so I really need to practice more," she let out a sigh, aware of Len's look of amusement. "Yeah, I know, you're just going to say that trig is really easy, but not everyone is super intelligent like you, Len," she added warningly.

"I wasn't going to say anything like that," he defended himself, but the grin on his face told her otherwise. She shook her head, looking away from him and squinting at her iced tea. There was way too much ice in here. Her tea was diluted. "I can tutor you if you want. Math isn't that hard, really. It's just a bunch of formulae that you have to memorise, and once you know how to apply them and when to use them, it becomes very simple…repetitive, even."

"Yeah, so that's why I need to practice," she made a face. "I think I'm not getting it because I haven't done enough assessments. Besides, you need to study as well, so you don't have to spend time teaching me," she clasped her hands together. "You're taking advanced classes, aren't you? Isn't the workload for advanced classes a lot more than in the usual class?"

Len shrugged. "Yeah, it _is_ more, but nothing I can't handle. I mean, ever since we made that deal, there hasn't been anything to distract me from doing my work at home," he met her gaze steadily, and she found herself becoming unfathomably flustered. His stare made his words sound like they had some kind of deeper meaning, but she couldn't imagine what that would be. "I have an awful lot of free time, Miku, so I don't mind teaching you if you really need the help. We're neighbours anyway, so it's not going to be too inconvenient."

She wasn't sure if her cheeks had gone red, but they did seem rather warm. "You…you want to come to my house to tutor me?" she spluttered, while Len tilted his head, his expression quizzical. "Um, no, you can't! My parents would definitely get the wrong idea!" she hastily explained, noticing the look of confusion on his face upon her vehement rejection. "Don't you remember the time you had dinner at my house? My parents were already jumping to conclusions; if you come by again while they're there, they're bound to say something!"

"Then I can just come by when they're not there," he pointed out matter-of-factly, like that was the simplest solution in the world. Miku paused. Was he being serious about this? She couldn't be sure, and she didn't know if she _wanted_ him to be serious or not. She enjoyed Len's company, but her own strange feelings whenever she was around him for too long…it made her feel really conflicted. She didn't want to say 'yes' or 'no' immediately to his offer since, on one hand, she didn't want to make herself feel even more confused, but on the other hand Len's help would be greatly appreciated. She knew he was a good teacher, since he had explained a few concepts to her before for other classes. Ultimately it came down to a choice between her mental well-being and her grades. It was a hard choice to make.

"I'll…I'll think about it," she finally muttered, sucking on her straw and drinking up the remaining dregs of her ice lemon tea. Len laughed quietly but didn't say anything, instead leaning back in his chair and watching her unblinkingly. She wondered if he was doing this on purpose – she had no doubt that he knew just how nervous she was, spending so much time alone with him, and she wouldn't put it beyond Len to try and make her even more uncomfortable. Clearly, he was very much aware of his own good looks.

She finished up the tea and slid the tall, empty glass aside, the ice cubes clinking softly as the glass moved. "I have lots of work to do, so I guess I ought to hurry back home and start," she pushed her chair away from the table, preparing to get up. "Are you going home too?" she asked when he didn't move an inch, instead still sitting in his chair and staring up at her. Len raised an eyebrow, then shook his head and took another sip of his hot coffee.

"I don't want to start on work yet. And there's no one at home right now. I don't exactly want to return to an empty house," he explained. "I think I'll wait for Rin to finish her work at school before I head back. A final break, you know," he mused, "before I really start to get into my studies. But if you want a lift home I can send you," he added, grinning at her.

She shook her head. She had received so many rides around town that she was actually starting to miss taking the bus. Today would be a nice opportunity to take public transport home, especially since she wasn't rushing to go anywhere. Len nodded. "All right then. Don't worry about the bill, I'll handle it," he stopped her when she began reaching into her purse, trying to find her wallet. Miku wanted to protest, but Len just gave her a stubborn, unflinching look and she fell silent. He wasn't going to change his mind, she knew that.

"Okay then, I'll see you in school maybe," she bade him farewell, and Len laughed as he nodded, blue eyes twinkling merrily behind his spectacles. She turned away from the table, trying not to let her knees grow weak at his charming smile, and hoped that she would make it home safe and sane enough to study. Perhaps she really was falling into madness. Why was it that everything Len did or said seemed so…normal? Normal enough for her to actually find him, well, attractive? It was a good thing that he was becoming more and more like a normal guy who didn't go around having sex with anything that moved, but when she made this deal with him she hadn't thought that it would affect her emotionally as well.

She pushed the door of the café open, feeling the rays of the sun hit the exposed parts of her skin, like her face. She tilted her face up, drinking in the mild warmth – it was going to be winter soon, and the air was beginning to be just a little cold. She drew her warm cardigan closer around herself, reaching into her purse and taking out a thin knitted scarf. She was suddenly glad that her mother had insisted on her bringing a scarf out today. There was a breeze blowing outside, and her neck suddenly felt painfully vulnerable to the chill.

As she wrapped the scarf around her neck, she saw a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye and she turned around, distracted by the white gleam. She didn't notice anyone there, but she saw that she was now looking towards a corner, where the pavement curved into a street full of shops. She wondered if she had imagined the silvery flash or if there really had been someone walking there. Not that it was important, anyway. Shrugging, she went the opposite direction towards the bus stop, hoping that the bus would come here soon.

* * *

Len frowned as Miku walked out of sight, her grey knitted scarf waving slightly in the breeze. She still wasn't a hundred percent comfortable with him, that he knew, and it was honestly frustrating. He thought he had been on pretty good behaviour the past few weeks so surely, she must have gotten used to his proximity by now…but evidently not.

He didn't want to force her to accept his tutor offer either, but he was beginning to feel impatient about her hesitance and how slowly everything was going. He was steadily getting used to not sleeping around every night, and he had to admit that it was actually kind of nice to be so free after the initial withdrawal stages were over. Yet he had set himself a challenge and he wanted to complete it. Len wasn't someone who would give up so easily.

Stirring his coffee, he looked around the café. They were back at Arjay's – after the first time they went to eat there, Len and Miku had made this place one of their frequent hangout locations, and the café more or less saw them as regulars now. Len knew the names of the waiters and waitresses, and most of them kind of knew what he always asked for. The girls here also stopped trying to hit on him all the time after it became clear that he wasn't going to respond, and now he was treated like he was a perfectly normal guy. It was a nice change.

Not having sex sometimes still felt like a sacrifice. There _were_ times where he did crave to feel another warm body next to his, but he quickly quelled those thoughts before they could overwhelm him. However most of the time, he felt that it was actually pretty nice to have some peace and quiet, and not have to fend off the many girls who knew of his reputation and wanted to give him a shot. In hindsight, he wondered whether he was making use of these girls or if it was the other way around. There were some who did get obsessed with him after some time, but almost all his partners were the ones who approached him first…

But he would hardly admit to Miku that she was right about what she said. The last thing he wanted was to agree that he was wrong, that what he had been doing all this time was not morally upright. He always knew that he wasn't being the most virtuous person, but the mere thought of admitting he was wrong was almost physically painful. Maybe one day he would eventually come to terms with the fact that Miku's deal really did him more good than bad, but until he reached that level of maturity, he would keep quiet about his thoughts.

"Kagamine!" he turned around and saw that someone had entered the café, along with three other very familiar people. Len grinned. It was Akita Nero and his band. "It's been a while," Nero greeted him as they approached his table, the blond giving him a friendly clap on the shoulder. "How's your composition coming along? The Music Festival is approaching and I'd really like to know what you have in store for the other judges and me," he hinted.

"Why don't you all take a seat?" Len answered, drawing out the chair next to him. Len and Miku had been given a four-seater table since it wasn't very busy right now, so he had lots of space. The band promptly sat, with Ted, Ian and Oliver all talking animatedly to each other. They had been having this conversation ever since they entered the café and Len had no idea what the other three were talking about, so he just turned his attention to Nero, who seemed as confused as Len. "And you know I can't say anything about my music."

Nero laughed, shaking his head. "You know I'm joking too," he leant back into the sofa seat. "I wouldn't want to ruin my own experience listening to you play. Now I see why you take first prize at the Festival every year. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was rigged or something before," he chuckled again. "Where's your pretty little girlfriend?" he asked.

"What girlfriend?" were the first two words out of Len's mouth, an instinctive response to Nero's question. He already knew who Nero was referring to but he was hesitant to say anything since he had no idea how Miku would react if he went around telling other people that she was his girlfriend. Though he knew that many people thought that way by now, especially the staff at Arjay's – well, maybe not _girlfriend_ exactly, but most people definitely suspected something was up. The two of them were always there alone, and he wasn't completely oblivious to his surroundings or the rumours that floated around.

"You know who I'm talking about," Nero shot him a sceptical look. "That girl with the long teal hair who was there with you, the first time we saw you here. You come in here with her pretty often, so don't tell me there's nothing going on between the two of you. You look at her the same way you look at your music sheets," he added, an observation which left Len startled. Did he really look at Miku that way? If he did, then he hadn't realised.

"And what kind of look is that?" Len asked, realising that he sounded just a little bit defensive. Nero snorted, and the three other members of his band looked up, all staring straight at Len. He suddenly felt outnumbered, though he wasn't sure why. And maybe he was just overthinking, but it felt like most of the customers at Arjay's were looking at him too…

"It's the kind of look that makes one think that there's more than just friendship going on between you two, that's all," Nero replied breezily. Len narrowed his eyes, not entirely satisfied with that response, but before he could open his mouth to ask more questions, Nero threw his arm around him and beamed. "We still owe you two a song, don't we? That time we promised to sing for you if you played a piano piece for us. I haven't forgotten."

Len forgot about Nero's earlier comment for the time being. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that, actually," he admitted, a small smile on his face. He didn't think Nero would have been the kind of person to honour their agreement, but maybe he misjudged the blond band leader. Kasane Ted, the band's lead guitarist, snorted and shook his head, but Nero ignored his bandmate.

"I'm not someone to break a promise. It's not because I'm seizing an opportunity to show off our music or anything," Nero looked solemn despite his bandmates' sniggers and looks of outright amusement. "And you know what? You two are in luck! We're having a mini-concert next week in the amphitheatre and actually, the tickets sold out last night the moment they were released but I have two here, for both you and her. They include backstage passes as well," Nero smiled triumphantly, pulling out two tickets from seemingly nowhere.

Len hesitantly took them from Nero's outstretched hand, genuinely surprised by what was happening. He never thought he would attend one of Nero's concerts – admittedly, it was a mini one, but that still counted for something – since the band's viral popularity meant that tickets were next to impossible to obtain. Who would have thought that a band called 'The Unmasked Raccoons' would become this popular? Maybe the name actually had something to do with the band's fame though. It was the stupidest name Len had ever heard.

Anyway, the way Nero's band did things was that they released all information regarding tours and concerts on their YouTube channel, often within a month or less of the actual event itself. People would scramble madly for the tickets, sometimes paying exorbitant prices to score tickets if they failed to purchase them in time. The Unmasked Raccoons' method of promotion was pretty hit and run – unlike most singers and bands, they had a rather haphazard way of doing things and Len could tell that they hardly did any planning, which was why the ticket sales and the announcements and the events all occurred so soon after one another. He had to wonder what on earth their agent was doing, assuming they had one.

"Thanks," Len finally said, staring down at the tickets in his hand. They really were pretty good seats, practically front row, and right now on the concert ticket market, they were probably selling for upwards of six hundred bucks. Which was saying something, since originally these tickets would probably be priced at around two hundred dollars or so. "Just wondering though, why are you suddenly having a mini concert? I'm assuming that you didn't plan to have one beforehand," he added, raising an eyebrow. Nero grimaced.

"Ask _Ian_ …" Nero jerked his thumb at the drummer, who rolled his blue eyes and lounged back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "He was the one who said we were stuck here while waiting for me to judge in that stupid Festival, so we might as well make some money while we're on the road. I don't even know if we have time to rehearse and all."

"So…you're saying that this concert might very well end up a fiasco," Len pointed out, folding the tickets carefully and tucking them into his jacket pocket. At the very least he didn't pay for these, so if the night did turn out to be a disaster he wouldn't be losing out. He didn't want to think about the others who had paid ridiculous prices for their tickets though. Oliver, the other guitarist who did backup vocals with Nero, coughed quietly.

"It won't be a fiasco," Oliver spoke up, meeting his gaze steadily. The guitarist was perceived to be the friendliest out of the four guys who made up Nero's band, but the eyepatch he always wore detracted from that perception a little. No one really knew why Oliver had an eyepatch on at all times. Some people said that it was because he was born blind in one eye, others said that he was injured, and there were those who claimed that it was just part of his style and his eyes were actually perfectly normal. The mystery added to Oliver's appeal, easily seen through how girls always seemed to swarm around him first, before going on to the others. "It's a small concert, with very few tickets, so that we wouldn't have to exhaust our resources trying to prepare for a huge number of people. The whole thing is really casual."

"I bet there's still going to be people reselling their tickets for hundreds of dollars though," Len muttered, feeling rather indignant about that. Oliver looked uncomfortable at that statement, but he was saved from having to respond by Ted, the lead guitarist. Ted was the quiet one in the group, who rarely said anything even during interviews. Len knew all this because Rin was a fan of Nero's music, so he had heard her talking about the individual band members before. Speaking of his sister, she was really annoyed when she found out that _he_ had met her current favourite band and he didn't make any effort to introduce her to them.

"We did mention on our channel that this mini-concert is a casual, impromptu event, and we only got the amphitheatre location because of some connections…we aren't even going to use professional speakers or lighting since we only intended to play for a very limited live audience," the soft-spoken guitarist murmured. "While we understand that some resellers jack up the prices of our tickets to exorbitant amounts, there is not much we can do at the moment to guard against that. But we will make an effort to prevent this during bigger shows."

Len paused. "Well, it's up to you whatever you decide to do with your ticket sales. I'm just mentioning it since my sister complained that she's never able to get hold of your tickets, and there are resellers who make a really huge profit off your shows, so yeah, you might want to look into that," he coughed, a strangely awkward silence settling between them in the aftermath of his words. The four band members were all glancing at each other.

"Your sister, huh?" Nero finally spoke up, violet eyes alight with curiosity. "Does she want tickets for the mini-concert then? I guess we can still get hold of one more…" he exchanged another look with his band members, who didn't say anything. Len hastily shook his head.

"Nah, she's busy right now. She has a final project to complete for her art class, and I know she'll probably drop everything just to go watch your concert. Maybe another time," Len shrugged. Then he blinked, realising that he had just passed up on an opportunity to spend some quality time with his twin without having to worry about Kaito being around, taking up all her attention. He really was changing…in the past he would have jumped at the chance to be alone with Rin without any hesitation whatsoever, but now that wasn't even the first thing to cross his mind. It was a little strange, actually. Was it because of Miku?

"Oh, nice to see that you're such a concerned sibling," Nero grinned. "Or is it just because you want to spend some quality time with your girlfriend? I figured; that's why only the two of you have backstage passes, you know. Ian's idea," he jerked his chin towards the light-haired drummer, and Ian gave him a proud smile, clearly satisfied with his bright idea.

"She's not my girlfriend, you know," Len admitted, not wanting the misunderstanding to go too far. "She's just a friend and my partner for the Music Festival this year, that's why we're together all the time. There's nothing going on between us…" _at least, not at the moment_. But then Nero and his bandmates didn't have to know that. Nero blinked, looking surprised.

"Well, that's a little difficult to believe. Like I said, the way you look at her –" he was cut off when Oliver elbowed him in the ribcage, and the singer immediately shut up, coughing and spluttering. Oliver gave him a charming smile that made Len feel a little uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Nero has this habit of jumping to conclusions," Oliver explained. "But we already got you two the tickets, so you're still going to come, right? Regardless of whether you two are in a relationship or not?" he tilted his head, awaiting an answer. Len slowly nodded, and the guitarist's smile widened. "Great. Just wondering, that girl…if you two aren't together, then does that mean she's single? What's her name?" Oliver's blue eye gleamed with interest.

Oh, so that was where the conversation was headed. Len wasn't too happy about this, and he took a while to think over his response while Oliver waited for him to say something. Ted, Nero and Ian had gotten up from the table upon hearing Oliver's question, and Len could see the three other guys now at the counter, arguing over what to get for dessert. They weren't going to be of any help in this situation. How was he supposed to explain that Miku wasn't his girlfriend, but he wanted her to be? It just wasn't in Len's nature to admit he wanted to be…well, tied down. And given his reputation, no one would believe him.

He didn't really think anyone assumed Miku was his girlfriend, actually. Maybe just his latest sex partner. 'Girlfriend' was just a nicer way of putting it. It wasn't the first time some girl was mistaken to be his date or something too. "Hatsune Miku," he finally decided to answer the part of Oliver's question that didn't make him feel irritated. Just saying her name should be fine. Hopefully. "She's in the same year as me in school, and we share a couple of classes. Why, do you like her?" he asked, feeling curious.

He hoped that he was misinterpreting Oliver's reasons for asking about her, but the blond boy exhaled and shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Maybe," was all he said, avoiding Len's stare. "I think she's pretty, that's all. And if she's single right now, then it's worth a shot, isn't it?" he raised an eyebrow, blue eye twinkling. "And you don't have to be too concerned about me, Kagamine. I don't have a reputation like yours, so I'm not looking for a quickie or anything like that," he added. Oliver's last sentence didn't reassure Len in the slightest.

It wasn't that he was suspicious of Oliver's motives. He just didn't want anyone else to be involved with Miku, at least not in a romantic sense. It wasn't right, but the thought of someone else flirting with her made him extremely unhappy. She was the girl he wanted to target, and he wouldn't let anyone else get together with her before he succeeded. She was his friend, wasn't she? "Maybe you can try talking to her when we attend your mini concert, then," he finally spoke grudgingly, knowing that if he continued to keep quiet it would seem very suspicious. "We have backstage passes, after all. And I'll definitely persuade her to go."

Or he could just sell the tickets online and make some money, but he didn't want to offend Nero. He wasn't sure what Akita Nero was like as a music judge, and he was afraid of angering him and making him biased against his work. So, he couldn't do anything that might offend the boy now, at least not until the Music Festival was over. He didn't know if Nero would continue to stay here after the Festival since the band didn't even live here.

"Yeah, I know. I'll definitely look for her then," Oliver promised. It just made his mood even more sour, though he struggled to keep it off his face. Oliver gave him a strange look. "You look like you're in pain, Len. Stomach-ache?" he asked sympathetically. Len smiled tightly at him, and Oliver patted him on the shoulder. "You should go get some rest then. I'll join the others since they clearly still haven't made up their minds about what to eat. See you next week, hopefully. And Miku too," he grinned, got up from the sofa seat and finally went away.

Len narrowed his eyes, thinking over Oliver's parting words. See Miku, huh? Not if there was anything he could do about it. He'd definitely persuade Miku to attend the mini-concert, but he wouldn't take his eyes off her when they went backstage. The last thing he wanted was Oliver hitting on the girl he was interested in. The mere thought of that made him sick.


	25. Chapter 25

Len adjusted his collar, nervous. He was waiting right outside Miku's house, his hand poised to knock – but he didn't quite dare to reach out and rap his knuckles against the wood, so his hand just hung there, completely motionless. What if her parents were at home?

Shortly after receiving the tickets from Nero last week, he called Miku and asked if she was free to accompany him to the mini-concert while explaining how he managed to get hold of those tickets in the first place. Miku seemed surprised, but she readily agreed, so here he was, waiting to pick her up from her house so they could drive over to the amphitheatre.

It didn't make any sense why he was being so nervous. She wasn't his girlfriend or anything like that, and it wasn't the first time he had visited her house anyway. If her parents really were the ones who answered the door, he'd just insist that he wasn't dating their daughter and drive away as quickly as possible. Theoretically, nothing would go wrong, and they could just watch the concert and go home afterwards – he was hoping for an uneventful evening. But then there was always the chance that something would wreck all their plans.

Presently, the worst thing which could happen was Miku and Oliver hitting it off backstage after the concert, with the two of them becoming closer and then _dating_ …he narrowed his eyes, feeling aggrieved at the mere possibility. If that happened, then it would really mess up his plans. And he didn't like the thought of Miku smiling and blushing at someone else. Just envisioning it made him uneasy, though he couldn't explain why, not even to himself.

Rin lost her mind when she found out about the concert tickets. He hadn't wanted to let her know, given how much she supported Nero's band – he figured she'd be super pissed that he didn't get her tickets as well. But he had her interests at heart. She was so busy now with her projects that he didn't think she should waste her time on something as frivolous as a mini concert. It was _nothing_ to do with wanting Miku all to himself. Or at least that was what he repeated in his head, over and over again like it was some sort of sacred mantra.

He promised his twin sister that the next time Nero ever invited him to some performance, he would definitely let her know, which appeased her somewhat. He also promised to try and get some exclusive band merchandise on her behalf, and hopefully the signatures of every band member as well – which wasn't difficult, but he did think it would be a little bit embarrassing. He didn't want to come across as a major fan when in reality, he wasn't. But it was the only way he could get Rin to stop throwing heavy objects in his general direction.

Len shook his head slightly, deciding that he had idled long enough on the doorstep and he really needed to knock before he lost his nerve. He rapped sharply on the door, the echoes of the knock slowly fading away, and shuffled his feet on the doorstep, suddenly feeling very nervous. It was strange to be so… _uncertain_. But then again, he'd never met a girl's parents before – and this wasn't even the first time he'd be seeing them, it was the second. All this was really beginning to make him feel like they were dating. But no, they definitely weren't.

The door opened then, revealing Miku's mother, whose face broke into a wide beam at the sight of him. "Well, if it isn't Kagamine Len!" she exclaimed, looking him up and down. He smiled and greeted her, gaze flitting past the woman to check out the house behind her. He couldn't see Miku anywhere and deduced that she was still getting ready. "Miku should be done and out in a few minutes, so just take a seat first and I'll get you something to drink!" her mother confirmed his suspicions, and so he entered the house, waiting for his…friend.

Was it considered a date? He really didn't know. It _kind_ of was a date, but at the same time, he knew Miku would never refer to it that way. She'd call it an outing, a friendly meeting – anything that didn't have romantic connotations, in other words. Miku's mother came out of the kitchen then, holding on to a glass of water, and he gratefully rose from the couch to accept the drink. The older woman made herself comfortable on the couch beside Len and studied him, her piercing green eyes fixed curiously on him. It made him feel awkward.

"So, what do you think of Miku so far?" she asked, apparently curious about his opinion. Len took a sip of water, hoping to buy time – how was he supposed to answer such a question? It felt like a trap of some sort. He couldn't praise her too much because if he did, the woman would surely think he was attracted to Miku and wanted to be her boyfriend. But if he just pointed out the bad things about her, then the woman might wonder why they were even friends and start suspecting he was up to no good. There really was no way to win here.

"I think she's…friendly," he began cautiously, staring down at his glass. The water surface was calm and smooth, and he could see his own reflection. Blue eyes watched him, careful and hesitant. "And she's a very hard worker. I'm glad we were paired together for the Music Festival since if it was anyone else, they might not have been willing to put in the same kind of effort. Will you be coming to the festival?" he steered the topic away from Miku.

"Oh, most likely!" her mother nodded vigorously. "She seemed so excited about it! She was talking about it all week, saying how it was a joint effort between you two and how you are such a wonderful, incredibly talented pianist. You really must play for us one day, Len," the woman added earnestly, and he smiled, nodding in response. He definitely wouldn't mind. And after all, they were Miku's parents – it would be great if he managed to impress them.

The Music Festival would be held in two weeks' time. He was looking forward to it – their exams would all be over by then. In fact, his were almost over. He had one final paper the day after tomorrow, and he would be finished. He wasn't sure about Miku, but since she was willing to come for the mini-concert, he figured that she didn't have that many exams left either. Their music teacher was working herself up into quite a tizzy over the festival, and her constant excitement left the class in a general state of amusement. Her excitement was a yearly thing, so Len had grown used to it, but Miku initially seemed very confused by their teacher's newfound absentmindedness – not that it was significantly different from her usual self since the woman had never been very focused during lessons in the first place.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting!" he heard Miku's voice, a little breathless – he glanced up when she spoke and his eyes widened. He hadn't expected Miku to really dress any differently from how she normally did for this concert, but it seemed like she had put in more effort than usual – she was wearing a grey button-up crop top and a fitted denim skirt over striped leggings. It was the most skin he had _ever_ seen her bare, which was really strange given that it was approaching winter. Wouldn't she feel cold? His eyes were drawn to the exposed skin of her stomach and he swallowed, throat suddenly feeling a little dry.

Why was she dressed this way when she normally just hid in flowy dresses and thick knitted sweaters? He knew she had a good figure – he still remembered the time he came to her house to help her choose an outfit for the charity play – but it was not something which she would typically flaunt. Was it because they were going to watch Nero's band perform? Was she really interested in one of the band members? He recalled the way Oliver asked about her and immediately felt uncomfortable. He hoped that he was just overthinking…

"You look good," he offered, though his mind was still on other things. Miku paused, one hand on the staircase railing, and gave him a small smile. His return smile was slightly strained. "It's the first time I've seen you wearing a crop top. Are you going to bring a jacket? You might catch a chill in this weather," he cautioned. Miku's mother was nodding empathetically at his words, but Miku just rolled her eyes and waved away his concerns.

"This outfit won't look as nice when there's something covering it. And it won't be that cold once we're inside the amphitheatre, I guess?" her voice was a little bit uncertain, but she didn't seem like she wanted to bring a jacket along, so he let the matter rest. "I'll come back straight after the concert," she turned to her mother, kissing the woman on the cheek.

"Oh, take your time!" her mother enthused, giving him a giddy grin. Len fidgeted, hoping that she didn't think he was bringing Miku out on a _date_ or anything like that – because it wasn't a date. Was it? He didn't really know anymore. He only asked Miku out because Nero said the tickets were meant for the both of them, but then…if it was just him and her and no one else, then it could be considered a date too, right? "Just give me a call if you don't intend to come back tonight. And have fun!" she shooed them out.

Len and Miku stood outside the house after her mother shut the door, watching each other nervously, neither one willing to stare the other person in the eye. He picked at his jacket sleeve, slanting his gaze towards his car. "Well…time to go, I guess?" he hedged. Miku just nodded and headed towards his car, and he exhaled in relief, glad that they were moving.

When he told Rin that he had asked Miku to go with him to the concert, adding that Nero himself wanted them both there, his sister looked pretty shocked. Of course, he only told her this after she calmed down, not wanting to make her even angrier than she already was. Rin stayed silent for an entire minute while Len stood there, wondering if it would be all right if he slipped upstairs to his room, but then she finally shook her head and met his gaze, blue eyes hard. He still remembered what she said. "Look after her, and don't break her heart," his sister told him tersely, and he swore that he wouldn't do anything to upset Miku. It wasn't something which had even crossed his mind until his twin brought it up.

Was he falling for her? He frowned, glancing at Miku, who was sitting next to him in the passenger's seat – she had buckled herself in and was now resting her head against the headrest, looking out of the window. He didn't know if his uncertain feelings were due to the challenge he had set himself, or if he was possibly confusing platonic friendship with something more, or if…if he really liked her. It could be anything, but he was too afraid to think much about it. If he really ended up having feelings for her, then what did that mean?

He had never grown romantically attached or interested in anyone before, not counting Rin at least. But even the thought of his sister – even talking to her, or seeing her together with Kaito – hardly incited any reaction nowadays. He didn't _know_ what to do if he ever had a crush on someone. He was good at seduction, at getting girls to do whatever he wanted, but that wasn't something he wanted to do to Miku. Though admittedly, he did want to sleep with her. "Len, you need to start the engine," he blinked at the sound of her voice.

Miku had turned towards him, her green eyes filled with concern. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face. "You've been spacing out for a while," she added when he continued to stare blankly at her. His gaze dipped to her full lips, and he felt the sudden urge to lean over and kiss her. Shaking himself out of his daze, he wordlessly started up the car, pulling out of the driveway. She continued to watch him, but he kept his gaze fixed straight ahead on the road, afraid that he wouldn't be able to control his impulses if he looked at her again. "You're being really quiet today," she observed.

He still didn't look at her. "Really? Just a little tired," he admitted, knuckles tightening a little on the steering wheel. "The Music Festival is coming soon. Are you nervous?" he changed the topic, hoping that talking about something serious would distract him. Miku hummed, taking her time to think over her response, and Len turned down the road, driving in the direction of the amphitheatre. There weren't a lot of cars today, and traffic was smooth.

"I guess so," Miku finally answered, ending her sentence with a little sigh. "I mean, it's not the first time I've been in competitions or anything, but it's the first time I collaborated with someone else on a composition and…well, I'm not afraid of losing _myself_ , but if our piece isn't chosen because of me, it wouldn't be a…nice feeling either," her words were hesitant.

He let his lips tilt up into a small smile. "Oh, don't worry about that. I believe we'll definitely get first place," he told her, and he saw from the corner of his eye that she nodded at him, reassured by the confidence in his voice. "And even if we don't win, so what?" he added. "You and I both enjoyed the process, and that is what matters. I've taken first place at this festival enough times to not care even if I don't win again," he shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess," Miku's voice was quiet. "By the way, I was thinking about your offer to tutor me last week," she added. He blinked, surprised that she suddenly brought this up. "And after contemplating, I think…yeah, I'd really appreciate your help," she admitted, rubbing her hand against her arm. "I have a math paper next week and I want to do well, so…if you have time, would you like to help me?" she asked, and there was a faint blush on her face.

"Um, sure, why not?" he hadn't expected that she would actually take up his offer. "Do you want me to come over to your place or…?" he let his words trail off, waiting for her to make up her mind. They didn't have classes since it was exam period, and he didn't fancy the idea of going all the way to school just to tutor her, especially not when they were neighbours.

She nodded. "Or I can come to your place if you want. Whatever you prefer," she added, and he noticed her wiping her hands on her skirt. "You're the one helping me after all, so the least I could do is to make it convenient for you," she started twirling a lock of her teal hair around her finger, and he guessed that she was feeling extremely nervous. Len wasn't exactly calm himself, but he tried not to let any of that show on his face.

"I can come over, sure. As long as your parents aren't around during that time," he hastily added, not wanting to deal with her parents unnecessarily. It wasn't that they were overly protective of their daughter or anything – quite the contrary, in fact – but he didn't know how to respond whenever they cheerfully asked if he and Miku were dating. And even if he said no, they went on to _imply_ it would happen in the future. It made him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I'll make sure they aren't around," he wasn't sure if he was mishearing things, but Miku sounded relieved. "Thanks for the help, Len. I hope I didn't trouble you too much," she sounded earnest, which he thought was really cute. He coughed, muttering a quick "no problem". The two of them didn't say anything else for the rest of the journey.

* * *

Nero hadn't been exaggerating when he said it was a _mini_ -concert. When Len and Miku finally reached the amphitheatre, they showed their tickets to the ushers and were quickly whisked inside. Len was certain there were fewer than fifty people seated inside the place.

Despite the small crowd, the excitement in the air was palpable. The usher led them down the seats all the way to the front, at the very first row. The two of them sat, waiting for the concert to start – they were fifteen minutes early, so he guessed that Nero and his band were still backstage, getting ready for their show. He was a little curious about which songs they would be playing. Len had heard some of their music before, and he couldn't deny that Nero was a good singer. Their songs managed to incorporate elements of both rock as well as classical music, occasionally having violins and pianos in the background, and while Len didn't think that would be possible for this show, it did make their music very interesting.

From what he knew of the band, all the members were musically gifted and were capable of playing at least three different instruments each, though for the sake of their music most of them stuck to guitars or drums. Rin told him that whenever they brought other instruments into their music, Nero was the one who played the piano, Oliver the violin, Ian the harp, and Ted the flute. None of the band members mentioned who played the other instruments.

All of them had a strong background in classical music, which was the main reason why they brought these instruments, which were all more closely tied to orchestral music than to rock, into their songs. Len wouldn't deny that the end result was usually pretty catchy, though he didn't own any of their albums. "Hmm, I thought there would be more people," he heard Miku whisper to him, and he turned towards her. She was looking around.

"Ted said they really restricted sales because they didn't want too many people. But I didn't think it would be so few either," he murmured back, wondering how much longer it would take before the band came onstage. "Well, they did say it was a pretty impromptu gig, and I guess they're all bored waiting for the Music Festival to take place. We probably can't expect too much from something so unplanned."

"It should still be a good show though, I think," Miku mused. "I went to check out reviews of their other concerts after you asked me to watch this one with you," she explained when he raised an eyebrow, wondering about her claim. "It's not the first time they had these kinds of small-scale performances but even then, they don't get lazy. I trust it'll be the same this time. Oh, and it'd be nice to get some autographs! I know Rin would love them," she smiled.

"We can go backstage after this, so we can probably get the autographs for Rin then," he reminded her, feeling a little strange at the sight of Miku's excitement. She was so nice to his sister. He knew Miku wasn't a huge fan of The Unmasked Racoons, but she was still so enthusiastic about meeting the band afterwards and talking to them, all for Rin's sake. He wondered if she would be as excited about doing him a favour. Did Miku see him as a close friend, the way she did his sister? He didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

It would be nice to be a close friend, but what if he wanted to be more than a friend? Would being a good friend affect the chances of that happening? Just as he thought about this, the lights in the amphitheatre suddenly dimmed, and a lone figure came out from backstage – a spotlight switched on, shining directly on that person, and Len saw that it was Nero, holding a microphone in one hand and a bouquet of roses in the other. "Hey!" he grinned, and that single word was enough to elicit a shriek of excitement from the small audience.

Nero raised his hands, trying to calm the audience down. "All right, all right, I'm glad to see everyone too," he laughed, idly twirling his bouquet. The crowd quietened somewhat. "It's amazing that you all managed to attend this mini-concert despite the short notice. We won't make such a last-minute announcement again – but hey, to compensate, we're going to put on a _really_ special gig tonight," his violet eyes twinkled. Len thought that Nero, while he was up onstage, was significantly different from what he was like in real life – but then again, everyone had a public self and a private self. Nero, being a musician, was no exception.

As Nero was talking, Len saw two people walking down the aisle, guided by the ushers, and idly turned his head to look – his eyes widened in surprise as he realised who it was. Kagene Rei and a girl who looked very much like him, except with grey eyes instead of gold. Rei had yet to notice Len and Miku, but when he turned towards the first row and moved down the bench, his gaze met Len's and he paused in surprise, those golden eyes blinking at him.

"Len? Miku?" he asked, sounding a little confused. The girl behind him stopped, tilting her head and studying them. Miku glanced up at the sound of Rei's voice, and surprise flitted across her face as well – she stared back at Rei, clearly not knowing what to say. The raven-haired boy suddenly grinned, seating himself beside Miku. The girl who was accompanying him sat quietly next to him but didn't make any attempt to introduce herself. "I didn't think I'd see you here! What a coincidence," he shook his head, looking amused. "Oh, and this is my cousin, Haine Lin. I think I mentioned her to you before, Miku?" his words were unsure.

"Yeah, you did. I think that time we met at the café and had that chocolate sundae," Miku answered, and Len could see the smile on her face. She looked genuinely pleased to see Rei, and that made him feel…well, uneasy. Plus, judging from what she just said, Miku and Rei had actually met up outside of school before. Did they go on a date? Or did they meet for some other reason? He didn't want to overthink since he figured he'd probably know if Rei and Miku were going out, but that didn't make him feel any better about this possibility.

Lin still didn't say anything despite her cousin introducing her to them. Rei glanced back at her, then shot them a nervous smile. "Sorry, Lin is a little shy about meeting new people. Lin, this is Miku, and that's Len," he waited for his cousin to react. Lin looked over at them and gave them a small smile, but still didn't say a word, and Rei sighed, shaking his head. "Stop pretending to be mute when you aren't…" he muttered. Lin rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't know you're a fan of The Unmasked Raccoons, Rei," Len broke in, eyeing the dark boy carefully. He didn't like how close Rei was to Miku. As if Oliver on his own wasn't a big enough concern – now it seemed as though Rei might be interested in Miku as well. He had forgotten about that. Recently he hadn't seen the Vice President of the Student Council much, to the extent that he almost forgot about Rei's existence. But seeing him now reminded him of the way he used to look at Miku. Len wasn't _sure_ if Rei was interested in her or not, but he didn't think that Rei only saw Miku as a friend. And having even more competition annoyed him.

"Oh, I'm not really a fan. I'm here because of Lin," Rei shrugged, gesturing at his cousin, who continued to ignore them, her gaze fixed on the stage. Nero was still working up the crowd, now holding the bouquet of roses behind his back. Apparently, he had promised to throw the roses into the crowd, so the girls around them were agitatedly getting ready to catch the bouquet. "My aunt refused to let her attend the concert on her own so she asked if I could go with her. I said okay since I didn't have anything else to do. It's nice running into you two, though!"

Though he directed the words at both of them, Rei was looking at Miku, and a faint smile curved his lips. Len exhaled, trying not to snap at the other boy. He hated how irritated he was getting over something as stupid as a smile, but he couldn't deny how uncomfortable he felt. "Yeah, I didn't think I'd run into anyone else I knew here!" Miku agreed, and he glanced at the stage instead, not wanting to watch them interacting. It was petty, he knew. And that was what frustrated him the most – knowing that his unhappiness made no sense, but not being able to control it anyway. "I haven't seen you lately, Rei…where have you been?"

"Oh. Nothing much, just some student council stuff," Rei explained vaguely, scratching his head. Miku just frowned at him – she knew what an evasion sounded like, and the dark boy definitely wasn't being truthful with her. "How are your exams?" he changed the topic. She was tempted to question him further, but she didn't think he'd answer anyway if he was so determined not to tell her anything, so she went along with the flow. Nero was preparing to toss the bouquet of roses into the crowd now, and she kept an idle eye on the proceedings.

"I've had two so far. I have two more next week, then I'm done," she exhaled. "I'm so glad that this is the last year of high school and we'll be going on to university after that. It'd be nice to be able to focus on the specific courses I want to do instead of math," she grumbled. Rei snickered, but before he could say anything, Nero threw the bouquet. Miku gasped, her hands shooting up reflexively, and she caught the roses – the flowers were a soft, velvety wine red, and she glanced up, meeting Nero's merry gaze. She was sure he winked at her.

"Sorry to all the ladies who didn't get their hands on the flowers! Better luck next time!" he made a little bow amidst all the grumbling and complaining. "And now, we'll move on to the concert proper. Look forward to it!" he shouted, running backstage again. Miku studied the bouquet – it looked luxuriously expensive, and she was honestly surprised that Nero and his bandmates would spend so much on a gimmick like this. Len and Rei both leant in towards her, peering at the roses, and she felt her cheeks warm at their sudden proximity to her.

"Look, there's a note," Rei pointed out. She glanced at where he was indicating and saw that there really was a small piece of paper, folded in half and hidden among the heavy blooms. She picked up the note, unfolding it to see what it said. But the presence of the note made her wonder then if Nero had _purposely_ thrown the bouquet at her – were the note and the roses intended for her from the very beginning? But if so, why did he give them to her?

' _Hope you enjoy the show tonight, Miku. See you later backstage?_ ' was what the note said. It was signed with just one initial, the letter 'O', and she immediately guessed that the note was from Oliver. She felt herself blushing at the short message – why did he want to meet her? Was he interested in her? Or maybe he needed a favour. She didn't want to assume right away that he found her attractive, but she couldn't really think of any other reason.

"Sounds like you have an admirer," Len sounded almost sarcastic. She narrowed her eyes, wanting to ask if he had an issue with that, but before she could he leant over and took the note out of her hand. "Must be from Oliver. Why can't he just come down and outright tell you that he wants to see you later? Why go through all this trouble?" he wondered aloud.

"Perhaps he thinks it's romantic," Rei offered, a teasing grin on his face. Miku suddenly felt like she shouldn't be sitting between the two boys. It was beginning to feel overwhelming – and she didn't think she was misinterpreting the hostility she could feel emanating from Len. But she couldn't be sure if that hostility was due to Len simply feeling protective of a good friend, or if it was due to other reasons. Once again, she didn't want to jump to any conclusions.

All the band members came onstage then, and they immediately launched into song once they were all ready and in position. Len and Rei abruptly quietened, and Miku gazed up at the stage, watching the band members as they played and sang. She found herself looking at Oliver more than she did the other members, and more than once the blond singer met her gaze, always with a faint smile on his face. Her grip on the bouquet tightened. He must know then that she had seen his message. She had to admit that she felt mildly flattered.

The four band members were all so popular. It was really weird that one of them took such a sudden interest in her. Many other girls would probably kill to be in her position right now, but Miku didn't really…feel anything about it. It was nice to be noticed by someone like Oliver, yes, but she wasn't attracted to him. If she had to be honest, she knew who she was beginning to develop feelings for, but it wasn't something she wanted to admit yet, so she would wait and see. She hadn't forgotten the promise she made to herself when she first came here.

Miku glanced at Len. He was staring up at the stage, his eyes narrowed. He looked tense. When he came to pick her up from her house, her first thought was that he looked really attractive – he had always been handsome, but there was something about the awkward way he acted around her mother which made him particularly endearing. It was so strange to see Len not being self-assured that she knew she'd remember this for a long time.

Asking him to tutor her was an impulsive decision. She was still hesitant but she also knew she needed all the help she could get. In the end, she figured that her results were still more important than her weird feelings about him, so she was determined to put that aside and just focus on what was essential – but she hadn't decided all that until they were sitting in his car, and she was trying to think of something she could say. She had never found it difficult to talk to Len, but nowadays her tongue refused to cooperate whenever she was in his presence. It was extremely frustrating, and she only had herself to blame.

Len certainly didn't seem to have any problems being around her or talking to her. Why did she have to make her own life so difficult? But the more time she spent with Len, the more she grew aware of how much he had _changed_ since she first met him. She didn't _want_ to have any feelings for him, especially given his amnesia and how much emotional baggage he was carrying around. But if she wasn't careful, she might end up doing something stupid.

Like falling for him. And that was the last thing she could allow to happen. Once she fell for Kagamine Len, she would break the promise she made to herself, and she would probably end up losing a friend too because her feelings would make her incredibly awkward around him. They ought to just stick to the status quo. Simple platonic friendship was the best solution, and she nodded to herself, determined to follow through with her resolution.

Len gave her a curious look, but he didn't say anything. The two of them continued to watch as Nero and his band played song after song, hyping up the audience and generally putting on an excellent show. The music was good, and she let it wash away her worries – she was here to enjoy herself, so for just these two hours, she wouldn't think about anything else.

* * *

After the concert was over, Len and Miku were approached by the ushers, who directed them backstage so they could meet the band members. Rei and Lin waved goodbye to them, with Rei making her promise to have lunch with him the next time they met in school.

Len seemed less than enthusiastic about being backstage. "I hope we can get this over and done with quickly," he grumbled. "I have an exam to study for. And I don't know why Nero wants us to meet them all here since we can pretty much bump into the band whenever we want at Arjay's," he continued, clearly annoyed. Miku shushed him, waiting for the four boys to appear – the backstage was dimly lit, and she could see discarded costumes all over the place. The band members had all changed their clothes three times each during the show, and given that this was just a mini-concert…well, their dedication was certainly admirable.

"Hey!" she heard a familiar voice calling out to them, and saw Nero and the other three boys sauntering down the passageway, looking exhausted but very satisfied. "I'm glad to see you two made it. And we've fulfilled our promise to sing something for you, eh?" Nero grinned.

Miku suddenly recalled the deal Nero made with Len, the first time they went inside Arjay's – that he and his band would perform for them in exchange for Len playing a piece on the piano. No wonder he gave them free tickets to this mini-concert, then. "Yeah, thanks for the invite," Len nodded. "We appreciate it, the music was great. But we also need to go now –"

"Hang on," Oliver interrupted, stepping forward so that he was now closer to Miku. Miku blinked, staring up at him – Oliver wasn't extremely tall, but he was still taller than her. Among the four band members, he was the shortest and the friendliest, so lots of girls preferred Oliver, who just seemed to be more approachable than the others. "I know it was really cheesy to give you those roses and all, but I wanted to leave an impression," the singer explaining, grinning. "And I was just wondering if you'd like to go out with me sometime?"

Miku didn't know what to say. She didn't _mind_ going out with Oliver, but did she actually _want_ to? Not particularly. She wasn't really interested in dating anyone at the moment since she thought her grades and studies were more important. But at the same time, she wouldn't mind hanging out with him as a friend. "Uh…" she hesitated, not knowing how to continue. She didn't want to reject him because she wasn't good at turning people down, but at the same time, she didn't want him to think she might really be interested in him.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. Oliver just stood there, waiting expectantly for her response, and the other band members watched them, clearly wondering what was taking her so long to answer. Maybe anyone else would have immediately screamed yes, but Miku wasn't like that. She didn't dare to look at Len's face, but she knew he was standing beside her, waiting for her to speak as well.

To think that Oliver went through the trouble of getting her flowers and meeting her at this concert, all for the sake of asking her out. She felt touched by his effort, but…right now, she just simply wasn't interested. Right as she was about to turn him down, Len suddenly spoke up, drawing all attention to himself. "Sorry, she can't say yes. She already has a boyfriend."

Miku was sure she did not have a boyfriend, but she played along, nodding vigorously. Oliver's face fell as the other three band members let out long sighs of disappointment. She felt bad about rejecting him, but it was for the best. "Who are you dating? Just so I know who I lost to," Oliver asked – though he looked resigned, there was no trace of bitterness in his words. Miku sincerely hoped there would be some other girl who caught his attention soon. He seemed like a pretty decent guy, so he at least deserved to meet someone nice as well.

"Um…" she hesitated. "Len," she finally blurted out, at the same time the blond boy beside her said "Rei". Oliver raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Len cleared his throat, giving Miku a careful look. She gritted her teeth, willing him to play along with her. Then he grinned.

"Oh, so we aren't pretending we aren't dating anymore?" he asked, reaching out to sling his arm around her shoulders. She was pulled towards him, and his warmth and his lean body felt pleasantly nice against her own. She told herself that this was just for the sake of getting her out of this situation, and they were in no way romantically involved – though Len was a very good actor. "Sorry, but I couldn't let you ask my girlfriend out right in front of me, so I had to step in."

Oliver was still frowning. "But that time at Arjay's, you said that the two of you weren't together –" he started, but Ted prodded Oliver's back and the boy abruptly shut his mouth, shooting his fellow band members a glare. "All right, sorry about that, Len. I didn't know you two were dating…" he hesitated, gaze flitting between Len and Miku. "Guess I need to look elsewhere then," he let out an exaggerated sigh, stepping away from them.

"Don't worry, you'll find someone," Len sounded appropriately sympathetic. "Anyway, we really have loads of work to do so we'll make a move first. See you around!" Miku waved as she and Len retreated, hurriedly exiting the amphitheatre and looking for Len's car. She just wanted to go home and lie on her bed and simply relax for a while. This concert had been far more stressful than she anticipated, and right now she wanted to unwind in peace.

They found Len's car and quickly slid in, Len promptly starting up the engine and speeding away from the carpark. It seemed that both of them had the same idea – to get away from the amphitheatre and her awkward situation as quickly as possible. After ten minutes of silence though, Len finally spoke up. "So, I'm your boyfriend now, it seems?" he smirked.

"Shut up, Len," she muttered. He laughed and drove on, and though she turned her face so that he wouldn't be able to see her expression, there was a smile curving her lips as well.


End file.
